May/June 2017 Home Business by Home Business Magazine

H H O O M M E E B B U U S SI NI N E E S S S S

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Home-Based Business & Opportunity Magazine

May/June 2017

NETWORK MARKETING Special Direct Sales Issue

25 MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING PROGRAMS – Pg. 22

The Truth, The Hype, The Opportunity! - Pg. 14

START-UP FINANCE: No Cash? No Problem! E-COMMERCE: 4 Ways to Grow PR & SEO: A Winning Combination TIME SAVER: 15 Productivity Tips SUCCESS: He Prospers With Socially Conscious Biz Model

INTERVIEW: DENNIS QUAID “Finding Meaning in Your Work” – Pg. 20

Learn D Verrengia’s Secrets for Financially Empowering Women - Pg. 47

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AAJudgment JudgmentRecovery Recovery Business Business isis Hot and andininDemand. Demand.Here’s Here’show how to to start start your your own... own...

ave aveyou youever everwatched watchedJudge JudgeJudy Judy or or any any of of those those mid-afternoon mid-afternoon court courtTV TVshows showswhere wherepeople people sue sue each each other other for for unpaid unpaid rent rent or services? services?InInmany manycases, cases,Judge JudgeJudy Judyslams slamsdown down her her gavel gavel and and barks barks orders ordersatatthe thedefendant defendanttotopay payup, up, but but here's here's aa little little known known fact: fact: the the court courtdoes doesnot notenforce enforcethat thatjudgment. judgment.And And that that goes goes for for non-televised non-televised court courtcases casestoo. too. That's That'sright, right,just justbecause because aa judge judge orders orders someone someone to to pay pay aa debt debt doesn't doesn'tmean meanthat thatperson personisisgoing goingtoto do do it.it. Imagine Imagine ifif someone someone owed owed you youa afew fewthousand thousanddollars dollarsand anddecided decided not not to to pay pay you, you, regardless regardless of what whata acourt courtofoflaw lawordered. ordered.Would Wouldyou youknow knowwhat what to to do? do? Most Most people people don't, don't,sosothey theywait waitininfrustration frustrationfor forthe thedebt debtto tobe bepaid. paid. Christina ChristinaSmiley, Smiley,founder founder ofof Sierra Sierra Judgment Judgment Recovery Recovery and and selfselfproclaimed proclaimedopportunity opportunity junkie, junkie, learned learned how how to to profit profit from from this this little little known knownmarket marketofofunpaid unpaiddebt debtby byhelping helpingjudgment judgment holders holders collect. collect. She She explained explainedthere therewas wasvirtually virtuallyno no one one who who was was providing providing this this service. service. And And that that once once people people had had been been awarded awarded these these judgments... judgments... 80 80 percent percentofofthem themwere werenever neverpaid.” paid.” This Thisdiscovery discoverycouldn’t couldn’thave havecome come atata abetter bettertime; time; Christina Christina and and her her husband husbandTerry Terrywere werepart partowners ownersofofaa carpet carpet store store and and had had amassed amassed aa large largeamount amountofofdebt. debt. They Theyhad hadthree threesmall smallchildren childrenand and thought thoughtthat thatbybyowning owningaastore storethey'd they'd have havemore moremoney moneyand andtime timefor fortheir their family. family.Initially Initiallyit itwas wasan anexciting excitingtime time forfor them, them, but but that that dream dream quickly quickly turned turnedinto intoa anightmare nightmareofofdebt debt and and endless endlesshours hoursatatwork, work,as as Christina Christina remembers, remembers, "We "We accumulated accumulated monstrous monstrousdebt. debt.We Wewere weretruly trulyonly onlyaa few few paychecks paychecks away away from from being being homeless." homeless." And Andthen thenshe shelearned learned about about the the big bigmoney moneyininsmall smallclaims. claims.Christina Christina focused focusedononlearning learninghow how toto recover recover judgments judgmentsfor forpeople. people. She She says, says, "It "It was wastrial trialand anderror errorfor forsix sixmonths monthstotoaa year. year.I buried I buriedmy mynose noseinincivil civilcodes.” codes.” Christina Christinacontacted contacted aa number number ofof small smallbusinesses businessesininher herarea areatotosee seeifif they theycould coulduse useher herservices, services,and andas asitit turned turnedout, out,there therewas wasplenty plentyofofwork work forfor her. her. "These "These people people were were overjoyed overjoyedtotogive giveus usallallofoftheir theircases cases totocollect collectand andwere weremore morethan thanwilling willing toto letlet me me keep keep 50% 50% ofof what what I I collected collectedfor forthem," them,"she shesays. says. InInmost mostcases, cases,they theyhad hadfiled filedaway away their theirjudgments judgmentsaafew fewyears yearsprior priorwith with nonohope hopeofofever evercollecting collectingon on them. them. Christina's Christina's business, business, Sierra Sierra Judgment JudgmentRecovery, Recovery,gets getsthat thatmoney money back. back. These These people people figured figured they'd they'd never neversee seeany anyofofthat thatmoney moneyagain, again, sosothey're they'remore morethan than happy happy toto pay pay Christina's Christina'sfee. fee. Another Anotherattractive attractive aspect aspect ofof this this

service service isis there's there's no no up-front up-front cost to her her customers. customers. Any Any filing filing fees or costs costs incurred incurred by by Christina Christina are reimbursed reimbursed to to her her out out of the judgment judgment once once it's it's collected. collected. The customers customers don't don't have have to pay anything anythingout out of of their their own own pocket. pocket. From From what what she she says, says, this is primarily primarily behind-the-scenes behind-the-scenes work, which which makes makes itit an an entirely entirely nonconfrontational confrontational business. business. She She does everything everything through through the the court court system from from seizing seizing debtor debtor bank bank accounts, accounts, garnishing garnishing wages wages and and other other income, to toplacing placingliens liens on on property. property. One One year year after after starting starting the judgment judgment recovery recovery business, business, Christina Christina and and Terry Terry closed closed the carpet carpet store. store. Finally Finally they they could could work at at home home and and have have money money left over at at the the end end of of the the month. month. They've been been running running Sierra Sierra Judgment Judgment Recovery Recovery for for over over 10 10 years years and are bringing bringing in in aa five-figure five-figure paycheck paycheck each eachmonth. month. And And the the most most important important aspect aspect isis they've they've got got more more time for their their kids. kids. “I“I can can attend attend their their events and and my my husband husband gets gets to to go go on field trips trips now now -- he's he's usually usually the the only dad on onthem.” them.” But But the the story story doesn't doesn't end end there. Christina Christina wants wants to to share share her knowledge knowledge with with others others across across the country country as as aa home-based home-based business opportunity. opportunity. She She has has put put together together aa judgment judgment recovery recoverytraining training course. course. In In addition, students students have have access access to to aa National Network, Network, which which can can be be extremely extremely helpful helpful in in cases cases where where the the debtor has has moved moved out out of of state. state. Christina also alsoincludes includes unlimited unlimited support. support. The The training training course course is is on a home-study home-study basis basis and and itit teaches

Christina Smiley Smiley

how to contact contact judgment judgment holders holders to get their their business, business, the the steps steps to to tracking down down aa debtor debtor and andsorting sorting through the the paperwork paperwork from from the the court. Christina's Christina's motivation motivation for for sharing this this business business opportunity opportunity with others others isn’t isn’t to to get get money moneyfrom from sales of the the course course (a (a one-time one-time flat fee of of $185.00, $185.00, she she only only makes enough enough to to cover cover the thecost costof of producing producing course course materials): materials): she she wants to continue continue to to develop develop the the National Network Network of of judgment judgment recovery specialists. specialists. Anyone Anyone interested interested in in aa homehomebased business business who who really really likes likesto to do research research could could benefit benefit from from this training training course, course, according according to to Christina. Christina. "This "This business business isisfilling fillingaa true niche. niche. ItIt provides provides steady, steady, predictable predictable home-based home-based income income of $5,000 $5,000 -- $8,000 $8,000 per per month month on on average. There There is is no no lack lack of of customers customers and and no no foreseeable foreseeable decrease decrease at at any any time time in in the the future," says says Christina. Christina. If you’d you’d like like information information on on starting your your own own home-based home-based judgment judgment recovery recovery business, business, register for for their their free free guide guide at at www.recoverycourse.com. www.recoverycourse.com. You You may also also contact contact Sierra Sierra Judgment Judgment Recovery Recovery directly directly by by calling them them at at (912) (912) 882-8190 882-8190 or email email Customer Customer Support Support at at Support@recoverycourse.com. Support@recoverycourse.com.

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Contents

Home-Based Business & Opportunity Magazine

Magazine May/June 2017

BUSINESSES & OPPORTUNITIES

4 Ways to Rapidly Grow Your Ecommerce Business. Save

time and increase your bottom line.

Small Biz Ad Marketplace.

Classified Ads.

Ecommerce Business: Use tech tools to save time and increase your bottom line.

HOME OFFICE

Network Marketing: Know the network marketing secrets to create a successful business.

FEATURES

Interview with Dennis Quaid. On Fatherhood, Aging and the Early Days.

Network Marketing Programs to Join. Great for 2017.

Product Review. Hot item for the home office.

MONEY CORNER

Network Marketing. The Truth, The Hype, The Reality.

Make the Most of Your Minutes in Your Home Office. 15 quick tips to master time management skills.

How to Start a Business with No Money. Source cash in creative ways.

Cleaning Up Your Home Business Accounts. Here are 12 key tips.

Dennis Quaid: “If you can’t be good, be careful, and if you can’t be careful, be quiet.”

Business Accounts: Manage them with good accounting practices.

WORK-FROM-HOME SUCCESS STORIES

NEWS AND REVIEWS

10 12

Letter from the Publisher. Letters to the Editor & Notice to Readers.

MARKETING & SALES

Four Marketing Pillars. Build a business as strong as the Parthenon.

PR and SEO. The winning combination.

Online Marketing: Build a solid foundation for your business.

Consuming Nutrition from Plants.

World’s First Gift Cards for Stock.

36 37

Bringing Art to Life.

Oprah Winfrey’s “Favorite Things.”

Organic Products for Everyone.

43 47 48

Making Personal Hygiene Convenient.

Footwear with a Purpose. Direct Sales Beauty: Elexsis McCarthy is the creator of the Makeup Eraser.

Leaving Two Jobs for the Online World. Drama-Free Beauty Solutions. May/June 2017 | Home Business

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Magazine M i Volume 24 Issue 3, May/June 2017 www.homebusinessmag.com

The Home Business Team ®

Publisher Richard Henderson United Marketing & Research Company, Inc. Editor-in-Chief Stacy Ann Henderson Managing Editor Sherilyn Colleen Publicity Editor Shannah Carol Graphic Services Kara Primm, Slice, Inc. Production Manager Jon Crossley, Ultra Graphics Digital Ad Production Angel Macias, Ultra Graphics Art Direction Richard Rabil Advertising advertise@homebusinessmag.com Phone: 800-734-7042 Shayla Christine http://www.homebusinessmag.com/magazine-advertisng http://www.homebusinessmag.com/online-advertising Distribution Manager Richard Trummer, Curtis Specialized Circulation Bob Kennedy, Cavendish Media Circulation Manager Dennis Porti, Curtis Michelle Ingenito, Curtis Subscriptions Publication Fulfillment Services Int. Call 888-881-5861 - M - F 8am-4pm PST. For International, call 714-226-9782. Fax: 714-226-9733 Email: homebusinessmag@pfsmag.com Print Manager Kris Hayner, LSC Communications Karen Hutchinson, LSC Communications Reprints Betsy White, The Reprint Outsource, bwhite@reprintoutsource.com Mailing Lists www.homebusinessmag.com (Click on “Mailing Lists” to order) Mailing List Manager Danny Grubert, Danny.Grubert@lakegroupmedia.com List File Manager Travis McMillian, Lee Coats Newton Digital Media Manager Jim Pappadeas, Epsilon Digital Media E-Readers Bob Mehta, Supremus Group Rachel Unclebach, Libre Digital Internet Manager Rob Thompson, Infoswell Media SEO Tim Schmidt, Search Engine Optimization Experts Social Media Sherilyn Colleen At Your Service Portal Lisa Schneegans, Buzz 360 I T/Computer Operations Jim Easton, letmefixyourpc.com Customer Service Email: customerservice@homebusinessmag.com Phone: (800) 734-7042 Fax: 714-388-3883

Editorial Jeremy Page, Brian Garvin, Jeff West, Jackie Gaines, Russell Smith, and others.

Distribution Curtis Circulation Company 730 River Road New Milford, NJ 07646 Tel: (201) 634-7400 Fax: (201) 634-7499

Home Business® Magazine Home Business Magazine (ISSN 1092-4779) is published by United Marketing and Research Company, Inc., 20664 Jutland Place, Lakeville, MN 55044. 6-issue Subscription Rates: Domestic $19. Canadian $39. Foreign $59. For Subscriptions: 714-693-1866, M–F Periodicals Postage Paid at Lakeville, Minnesota, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Home Business® Magazine, 20664 Jutland Place, Lakeville, MN 55044.

LETTER FROM PUBLISHER

Network Marketing Is a Great Home-Based Business Model Dive into the MLM Industry in 2017 When deciding on a home-based business, for many people, Network Marketing (or Multi-Level Marketing / MLM) can be the gateway to a successful future. Though over the years many companies have tarnished the reputation of the MLM industry, network marketers by the tens of thousands have found immense success by diving into the industry with awareness, smartness and strategy. In order to get familiar with network marketing, let’s look at the basics of what it is. Network marketing is a means of commerce between businesses/singular sellers and consumers. It is the direct selling of products or services with a target customer. There is no brick and mortar store — these transactions take place directly within a network of people. Due to the high-tech society we live in, and the digital connectivity that allows for unique online advertising and quick communications, network marketing is a viable industry to tap into. Many people within the networks of an MLM program are home-based business owners, and this autonomy is feasible due to low startup costs and low overhead.

“ Network marketing businesses are an

investment in time, money, sweat, and even tears — and in reality do not gain huge income overnight.

”

When first starting out, entrepreneurs can treat their MLM position as a supplemental source of income to a regular job. Over time, with diligent effort, the MLM can take precedence as a full-time, high-paying position — free from a boss, and with a close-knit team of “co-workers” within the network to turn to for support and with ideas to build upon. There are potential challenges and concerns with the network marketing industry. The product an MLM program sells must actually have true value for the consumers, or else the company will be deemed a recruitment scam. Further, some companies have emphasized in the past that marketers will “get rich quick” when in reality, the services they offered were subpar that not many would pay for. Do your research and make sure to avoid companies with complaints that their compensation plans are benefiting the top earners, and taking advantage of the “lower-tier” marketers. Avoid risk by choosing a company that offers a straightforward compensation plan. Scheming companies have soured the opinions of many toward network marketing, but the industry as a whole is not a manipulative machine that rips well-meaning entrepreneurs off. Nowadays especially, most companies are attentive to their recruits, offering strong trainings and guidance to get the marketers off on the right foot. Network marketing businesses are an investment in time, money, sweat, and even tears — and in reality do not gain huge income overnight. The key is to put in dedicated effort every day toward building the business, and not have high short-term expectations. Do not hype up products or services beyond their true potential. Be honest about what you have to offer, and set yourself up for success by choosing from the get-go an MLM company that has an innovative product or service of high caliber, that you can speak confidently about. Treat your network marketing business like any other startup, and put in the many hours it will take to see results.

Printed in the United States

Publisher, Home Business® Magazine 10 Home Business | May/June 2017 ®

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www.homebusinessmag.com

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DEAR HOME BUSINESS

H H O O M M E E B B U U S SI NI N E ES S S S

225+ D HOME-BASE RT-UPS BUSINESS STA GET STARTED

TODAY!

ess & Home-Based Busin zine Opportunity Maga

March/April 2017

20+

TRENDS Special Forecast

Issue

Trendy Hot Start-Ups for 2017

2017

– Pg. 22

w s to Quickly Gro Cutting-Edge Way 14 Business! - Pg. a Home-Based

GAGA INTERVIEW: LADY

Side, Her Entrepreneurial a, & More… Using Social Medi – Pg. 20

nique ne Marketing Tech CLICK-BAIT: Onli Biz Tips to Grow Your BUSINESS PLAN ons Less ng keti Mar TRUMP TALK: 10 You Ready? Are : 15TH IL APR TAXES Office from Your Home BAN BAD HABITS Tragedy Fights Through SUCCESS: She Mentor Millionaires to

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BUSIN WWW.HOME

ESSMAG.CO

six months of operating revenue from the date they project they will start making income in their business; try to outsource as much as possible to independent contractors instead of hiring employees; when they hire employees, have a good arbitration agreement; get workers compensation insurance; all partners should have written agreements and there should be a clear-cut way to break deadlocks; put all deals with $5k or more in writing; federally register your trademark if you are online or selling a product; and do not borrow or take on investors without clear agreements that make the company solely liable for any problems. John Fagerholm, Esq. Founding Partner of M.E.T.A.L.® Law Group, LLP www.metallawgroup.com

Give the Gift of Gratitude via Snail Mail This year, show your gratitude with hand-written thank you notes. It is one of the most impactful actions you can take because it brings out the best in you. It is true that communicating electronically is a big timesaver. Yet what we gain in speed, we lose in personalization. By taking the extra time to write a card, find an address, and then mail it, you have, in effect, said, “I could have texted or e-mailed you a ‘thank you’ in 15 seconds or less, but time is the most valuable thing anyone owns. I felt like it was worth giving up a few extra minutes of my time in order to make sure you know how important this communication, and our relationship, is to me.” That is powerful. It makes an impact. J.N. “Jim” Whiddon Author of Wealth Without Worry and The Investing Revolutionaries www.theoldschooladvantage.com

Facebook in 2017

We wanted to share some ideas of where we see Facebook headed in 2017: Video First – We’re going to continue to see an emphasis placed on Facebook Live. Look for new ad units, such as in-stream ads or commercial breaks interspersed within live video as Facebook starts to become a serious competitor for traditional TV dollars. Mobile Cash Cow – Facebook has generated $6.8 million in ad revenue this year and 84% of it has come from mobile. With mobile market share continuing to rise globally, this will continue to be a key growth story to watch in 2017. Messenger – Earlier this year, Facebook hit a milestone of 1 billion users on Messenger and the growth is not slowing. Businesses will now see the rise of messenger bots playing an automated role in lead gen sales and customer service. Action Steps for Entrepreneurs Steve Weiss Here are action steps for entrepreneurs: Co-Founder and CEO of MuteSix, a 1. Find Your Personal Passion. data-driven customer acquisition platform You may have more than one, and that is www.mutesix.com fine. But if you don’t care about it, you will never be able to get through all of the normal Legal Advice for Small Business Owners obstacles it takes to get something launched. General advice for everyone: have an 2. Create Elements That Will Sustain and entity in place to limit their personal liability; Spark Passion. understand how to pay their taxes and what Add meaning to what you are doing. Public deductions they can take; have a minimum of benefit aspects of your business are a great way We appreciate your feedback and work-from-home success stories for review and consideration. Please send both via e-mail to: editor@homebusinessmag.com, or via postal mail to: HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, 20664 Jutland Place, Lakeville, MN 55044. 12

Home Business May/June 2017

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to do this! Build in a way that the business gets people involved in doing good things together for others and each other. 3. Build the Right Support Group. Once you have the right people working with you, then it will be much clearer what you need to do and where you want to go with your business. AJ Merrill, Esq. Professor, Business Adviser and Founder of Merrill Law www.linkedin.com/in/ajmerrillattorney

Notice to Readers HOME BUSINESS® Magazine is sold as information only. The publisher, United Marketing and Research, Inc., considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur; consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. The publisher has not done a background check on listed companies (which includes advertisers), nor does it know people at all the companies. The publisher cannot assume any responsibility in any manner for the actions of any of the listed companies, and the publisher cannot guarantee the outcome of any correspondence, arrangements, or subsequent transactions the reader may make with any of the listed companies. HOME BUSINESS® Magazine is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering medical, legal, financial, accounting, tax, or other professional service. If medical, legal, or other expert advice and assistance are required, the services of a competent qualified professional person should be sought. The publisher, United Marketing and Research Company, Inc., assumes no responsibility for any changes of offers, nor for any companies/advertisers that may go out of business. All correspondence regarding questions or problems on a company’s (including advertisers) program, products, or services should be directed to the company, not to the publisher. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all contents of advertising and for any claims arising therefrom. It is up to the user of this publication to investigate the product or service offered, and to make sure the company is reliable and that the product or service meets the user’s requirements. United Marketing and Research Company, Inc., is not responsible for the delivery of merchandise, starter kits, supplies, or other products and services ordered from advertisers. ©1993-2017. Reg. # 4180563 and 4145799. TRADEMARKS: Home Business, Serial Number 74/713646 and Home Business Magazine, Serial Number 75-086596, issued by the United States Department of Commerce, Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks. Mark Type(s): TRADEMARKS: Conform to the minimum requirements set forth in 37 C.F.R. Sec. 2.76 (e); and formal requirements set forth in 37 C.F.R. Sec. 2.76(b) and (c). All rights reserved. No part of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means, photocopying, electronic, mechanical recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing of the publisher, United Marketing and Research Company, Inc., Lakeville, MN 55044. Articles appearing in this publication express the opinions, experience, and research of its authors and not necessarily the opinion of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine. www.homebusinessmag.com

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A+ Rating

4/4/17 8:25 AM

Network Marketing The Truth, The Hype, The Reality

By Brian Garvin and Jeff West

F E AT U R E

veryone looking into network marketing wants to know the network marketing secrets to a successful business. Just as there are many ways to accomplish any task, there are many ways to create a successful business when it comes to network marketing. However, knowing these few secrets can help you to decide if network marketing is right for you and to create a successful business. Network marketing is a form of multi-level marketing. When MLM companies and opportunities first came into being, they relied on things like home parties, door-to-door sales, and networking through face-to-face contact. You could earn some money, perhaps even enough for a second income, but it was rare to obtain a substantial primary income from MLM companies, at least in the past. The internet is probably the biggest secret to success when it comes to home-based businesses. You can market almost anything over the internet and sell it all over the world. It is not surprising that companies want to make use of being able to access a global market without having the expense that comes with expanding internationally. This is where the network marketer comes in. Network marketing is a simple concept. You agree to work for a company, usually as an affiliate or independent contractor. They agree to pay you a certain percentage of sales, usually up to a certain amount, and generally the amount is re-sent every month. As you start to make more sales in the allotted period, the percentage of commission increases. This is where network marketing becomes an MLM program. However, network marketing does not rely on recruitment. Any residual income is based on repeat sales and not on the sales created by people below you. This is one of the reasons why network marketing works where other types of MLM businesses fail. The success and failure of the business relies on your hard work, skills and commitment. Network marketing also refers to the type of marketing associates employ. Social networking has made this type of marketing explode. Social networks create small groups of people. They are all connected to each other in some

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way. They view messages from each other and each one of these has their own circle and so on. Sending a message to one circle displays the message on all the connected circles. In this manner, you can easily create a vast network of potential customers without an extensive amount of work.

Have a reputable company and a product people can trust.

Network marketing secrets are simple — have a reputable company, and a product people can trust. Keep in mind that everyone who has made a business grow and succeed has done so through hard work, perseverance, dedication, and commitment. They are looking into new things, new ways and new ideas constantly. Social networking, video networking, and social bookmarking sites have become some of the best ways to market your business, increase traffic and reach a global market all from the comfort of your own home.

The best network “marketers have a strong belief in the quality and the usefulness of the product they are trying to sell.

”

Read on to learn how to: choose a network marketing company to join; bring in the perfect network marketing recruitment; follow hot network marketing trends; and build an online network marketing business.

Choosing a Network Marketing Company to Join Want to join one of the top 50 network

marketing companies? Get ready for long and extensive research. Marketing hype is only rarely indicative of real quality. In order to pick the right program to join, you will have to draw your own conclusion on the basis of facts. Membership in Relevant Associations Start with the basics. Go to the Direct Selling Association (DSA) website: www.dsa.org. There is an extensive list of all the companies that are members of the association. The DSA members have to stick to a code of ethics. Some MLM practices are much better than others. You should be looking for highly ethical and transparent business practices, if you want to turn network marketing into a long-term occupation. Look at Professional Rankings Many websites, magazines and professional organizations accept the difficult task of ranking network marketing businesses. Such rankings can give you a lot of information about the top 50 network marketing companies and the benefits you will get to enjoy by joining each one. Some rankings are much more reputable than others. The Fortune 500 list, for example, is one of the most trustworthy sources of information. The best network marketing companies will be listed alongside other highly successful businesses. The information is created on the basis of revenue figures and the level of growth that the companies achieved. Continued on page 16

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4/3/17 2:04 PM

“ I ‘Retired Early’...

Then Made $27,000 Part-time in a Business of My Own.”

“$2 000 P “$27,000 Part-time i iisn’t ’ bad b d for f a guy who h quit i hi his job. I ‘retired early’ from the insurance and securities business, now I make good money part-time with Pace, and have as much work as I care to handle.”

— A true story by a very happy Pace distributor. I’m still amazed how things have “changed since I became a Pace Distrib-

utor! Let me tell you how it all started... When the national “economy wasn’t going

The first year I did 15 roof jobs. Almost too well, I decided to double that the second get out of the business year, and had a huge I was in. I had given backlog. Most of these some thought to were big jobs like the retiring, but was really county home, the too young for that. Chevy-Buick garage, Well, it so happened bank building, city my own commercial hall. Big jobs mean big building had a money! leaky roof. Roofing “The business I used to contractors prices be in had been pretty were literally sky high! good to me, but I had Then I remembered to work both nights an article about Pace and days. With Pace, Products and how business just seems with their exclusive to fall into your lap. Seamless Spray process I don’t really do any you could actually promoting or ‘selling’... bypass high priced most of my sales come contractors. I sent for from referrals, and my their literature, saw phone is ringing all the how easy it was to sell, time. and I wound up doing “What I like to tell the roof myself using people is that Pace Pace products and offers a fine income know how. opportunity. You can “Well, word got around start working as little about how much as two hours a week, money I had saved then go full time when and that opened a your income exceeds whole new world of your regular job. opportunity. Ever since What our successful then I’ve been like a Pace distributor is cat on a hot tin roof? too modest to say is

”

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that he actually did over $100,000 worth of roofing business last year, in spite of living in a depressed farming area! And that’s working less than half of the year, leaving the rest of the time for his family and other interests. What makes Pace such a good business is that it costs a fortune for schools, hospitals, plants and other commercial buildings to have roofing companies repair or re-do their roofs. Pace bypasses the roofer — lets the building owner apply Pace Seamless Spray right over the old roof... and the smallest Seamless Spray order earns you over $2,000 in commissions. Pace ships the Seamless Spray equipment on Free Loan. Your customer pays only for the roofing products. His own men apply it (or if you want to make even more money, you can handle the application too). It’s as simple as that.

For FREE Information Call Toll Free

1-800-656-0040 ask for Operator

And as an added incentive on top of the generous commissions Pace pays we’ll include a BONUS CHECK for $100 when you close your very first roof coating order.

taking orders from somebody else. You can start out earning extra income part-time (with the option of going full time anytime you wish!) ... or go right into it full tilt! Pace No Investment! offers that kind of You, too, can enjoy the flexibility. There is no waiting, either. You can same success. Best of all, you don’t need any start making money from your very first special background day. You get your or experience. Of big commissions up course, if you have selling, construction or front. Paid in advance, application experience, weekly! you’ll benefit even FREE DETAILS – more so. No Obligation! Pace is a proven Call toll-free winner. That’s why it is used by such 1-800-656-0040 well known firms Please ask for Operator as General Motors, and we’ll rush American Airlines, you all the details. Holiday Inns, and There’s no obligation. thousands more. No salesman will call.

Be Your Own Boss! You’ll like being your own boss and running a successful business. You can set your own hours, ease off whenever you want, make your own decisions and stop

4510 West 89th St, Suite 110 Dept. HB Prairie Village, KS 66207 Visit us on the web at www.paceproducts.com email sales@paceproducts.com

4/4/17 8:28 AM

Network Marketing Continued from page 14

There are special rankings dedicated exclusively to companies in the MLM niche. Pay attention to the factors used to rank the companies. Revenue is only one of the important criteria. Examine the Product

F E AT U R E

Once you have narrowed it down to several viable possibilities, you should get started with the in-depth research. The type of product is obviously the first and the most important factor to examine. Is the quality really high? Is this product something that you will feel comfortable working with on a daily basis? The best network marketers have a strong belief in the quality and the usefulness of the product they are trying to sell. Customers are very intelligent and they can sense when marketers are really passionate and when they are simply doing a job. You want to be included in the first group and the quality of the product will be largely determining. Is Network Marketing Right for You? Before doing anything else, you have to ask yourself one final question. Are you certain that network marketing is the career

opportunity you want?

Bringing in the Perfect Network Marketing Recruitment If you are in an MLM business (multi-level marketing) then you understand that the lifeblood of your business comes from your network marketing recruitment. Today more than ever before in history is the market ripe and ready to find the best recruitments for your team. The old-fashioned ways of meeting people face-to-face, phone calls, and direct mail still works, but even better is the internet and the many avenues you have now. The top 5 methods of bringing in the perfect network marketing recruitments are as follows: Attend Local Meetings Join your local chamber of commerce. Participate in events such as festivals, conferences, and meetings. Focus on groups that will have like-minded individuals in attendance who may be open to your network marketing opportunities. Build relationships first and then recruit. Make sure you have business cards to hand out. Start a Blog

The lifeblood of your MLM business comes from your network marketing recruitment.

Do not make a blog specifically about your MLM company, but more about the products or services you have. You can recruit two ways — by gaining customers and by recruiting for your team. This is done subtly through a blog.

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www.homebusinessmag.com

4/4/17 8:31 AM

You will introduce information that surrounds the products or services and then you start to bring in the option to purchase and the opportunity to join. Gain the trust and respect of your readers before you recruit, which builds the trust. Get Social Media Accounts Social media accounts give you more opportunities to connect with people from all over the world. You must build relationships on social media accounts. You do not want to befriend hundreds and start spamming about your MLM opportunity. You must show you genuinely care about the people by interacting with them. Talk to them about what is going on in their lives. Share their posts, and then work up to sharing about your products, services, and opportunities. Let your posts about your opportunities be only 20% of what you post; let the rest be about interacting with others. Just like with blogging, you gain trust first and then you are more likely to have others show interest in your business. Start a Newsletter You can create a website that surrounds a newsletter or add the newsletter to your blog

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and to your social media accounts. Center your newsletter on your opportunity, products, and services. Do not make it one big sales pitch though. Fill it with good information — information that people feel they must read. Subtly lead them to pre-selling. Lead them to your blog, social accounts, or to email or call you. Make it easy for people to subscribe and share the newsletter. There are many email marketing programs out there to choose from.

Do not make a blog “speciﬁ cally about your MLM company, but more about the products or services you have.

real pertinent information. Subtly pre-sell your products, services, and opportunities in the free report. You can give this away to your newsletter subscribers, on your blogg , and from your social media accounts.

Following Hot Network Marketing Trends The world of network marketing is constantly changing. New technologies have provided MLM professionals with amazing targeting and lead generation opportunities that are easy to use and highly effective. What does the world of network marketing have to offer? Here are some of the newest network marketing trends that professionals can look forward to. Mobile, Mobile, Mobile!

”

Write Free Reports or Small Ebooks People love freebies. Create a report or small ebook (pdf file) to give away. Make the book center around issues people have, and give

Mobile has been hot for some time and its prominence will continue to increase in the future. Network marketing can easily happen through the use of smartphone apps and responsive websites. The audience using smartphones and tablets to access internet is growing all the time. A smartly designed application can give you excellent opportunities to reach your prospects and deliver your message Continued on page 18

May/June 2017 | Home Business

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Network Marketing Continued from page 17

in the most attractive way. Products in the Wellness and Health Niches

F E AT U R E

Many of the newest network marketing trends focus on health and wellbeing. People are constantly gaining greater insight about following healthy practices. This is why this niche should be considered “red-hot” throughout 2017. If you are just getting started with MLM and you are considering product opportunities, you should research health and wellness options. This niche is still available and there are sub-markets that you can attack right now. The only thing you need to do is make sure you are passionate about such product varieties. In order to sell, you need faith in the quality and the usefulness of your product.

Webinars and other web “learning opportunities

Social Media and New SEO Rules

You have to gain the trust of your prospects before you move on to anything else.

You should take a comprehensive approach. Research network marketing opportunities and find the portals that will give you the best chance to reach your target audience. You have available to you: LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and many others. Are you making good use of these promotional opportunities? Web Learning and Team Training Opportunities Are you invested in the training of your staff? Network marketing professionals should have a good idea about the newest trends and the lead generation opportunities that are currently available. Webinars and other web learning opportunities give ample access to knowledge and practical information for your network

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Building an Online Network Marketing Business Setting up an online network marketing business is dependent on understanding the medium and the best ways to use it.

Social media marketing is going to be the hottest option for 2017. Everybody has a Facebook page but the newest network marketing has gone way beyond the traditional basics.

Home Business May/June 2017

marketers. Do your research and choose the training programs that your recruits will benefit from the most. It is even possible to develop your own online courses and interactive learning opportunities. These simplify the process and focus on the essentials that all MLM professionals need.

give ample access to knowledge and practical information for your network marketers.

”

Many of the newest network marketing trends focus on health and wellbeing.

Build a Trustworthy Website

Building a beautiful, informative and trustworthy website is the most important basic of starting an online network marketing business. If you lack the knowledge and the experience, you should invest in professional website development. Once the website is live and running, you will have to focus on content. Create useful articles, how-to guides, video tutorials and slideshows dedicated to your area of expertise. Investing time and knowledge in the creation of content will boost trust and help you increase your audience as well. Optimize Your Online Presence Your brand should be easy to find online. If people face difficulties discovering your website or social networking profiles, you will fail in meeting your lead generation goals. Become easy to find. You can achieve that through active participation in online discussions and website optimization. Spend some time on interacting with your audience each day. Update your social networking profiles. www.homebusinessmag.com

4/4/17 8:35 AM

Join relevant forums. As specified, build a blog or two. These should coexist with your website and be used to reach specific target groups. Ask for Reviews People tend to trust the reviews of others who have interacted with a particular online network marketing business. Ask satisfied customers and members of your network to write reviews. These should be created by people with actual experience with your program. Sitting down to write the promotional reviews yourself is far from the most useful strategy. Internet users will quickly figure out which reviews are authentic and which ones are written for marketing purposes. Add such reviews to your local listings and profiles. Get your Google My Business, Yelp and Foursquare pages set up right away. If you are interested in generating local leads, you will need these kinds of profiles. Interact with Your Audience and Analyze Results Be approachable and polite. Answer

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Get your Google My “Business, Yelp and Foursquare pages set up right away.

”

questions in a prompt manner. People love the immediacy of online communication and you should be making full use of it. Trace the performance of each post and piece of content that you write. Analytics provide valuable information about the behavior and the preferences of your audience. Are you finding it difficult to meet your marketing goals? The analytics information will give you a pretty good idea about what went wrong and what you need to do to target the audience in a better way. For additional information on network marketing, visit homebusinessmag.com and homebusinessexpo.com. Brian Garvin and Jeff West have been helping small and medium-sized businesses blow right past their competitors for over 13 years, by providing lead generation solutions online and offline and are now heavily involved in the local marketing scene. Let Brian Garvin and Jeff West give you more information about legal consulting and direct sales at MLM Legal (www.mlmlegal. com). Source: Free articles from ArticlesFactory.com.

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Interview with Dennis Quaid On Fatherhood, Aging and the Early Days

D F E AT U R E

ennis Quaid has lived quite a life. He was married various times, has lived through enormous success and has struggled with various addictions. He talks about fatherhood, aging and the early days. Question (Q): More and more big movie stars transfer over to TV these days. Is television the new bread and butter for actors today? Dennis Quaid (DQ): I like the stories on TV these days. You don’t see them in the movies anymore. Q: You became a father in your 30s and then again in your 50s. What’s different the second time around?

“If you can’t be good, be careful, and if you can’t be careful, be quiet.” – Dennis Quaid

DQ: I love raising my two little kids now. It’s a lot easier now. They have entered the age of reason. Q: What do you mean? DQ: Well, when they are little, they want everything, they don’t listen. Now you can explain things to them. And they’ve gotten funnier. They listen more. Q: Are you a different kind of father today than you were with your first son? DQ: Yes, you don’t worry so much. I know they will have to go to college, and won’t be wearing pull-ups for the rest of their life. I am more concerned that we are having a lot of fun with the kids. Q: Do the twins already understand what daddy does for a living? DQ: They think Daddy’s job is to be on the side of buses on posters and billboards. I took my daughter to the set, and she said it’s taking

C rte Cou rtesy sy of Reu Reuter ers

By Phil Thompson / The Interview Feed

According to actor Dennis Quaid, “Not everything is a laughing matter in life, but you have to be open to laughter and enjoy the good moments in life.”

too long. I think she got bored. Q: What is it about the infamous Dennis Quaid charm? How would you describe it? DQ: Just be yourself (laughs). And try to stay out of trouble. If you can’t be good, be careful, and if you can’t be careful, be quiet. Q: Speaking of trouble, you’ve had your problems with drugs in the past. How did you learn to cope with personal demons? DQ: Listen, I am a man of faith. All one

Mailing Lists! Home-Based Business Opportunity Seekers

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has to do is open one’s heart and ask, and God will be there. It’s certainly been a good influence in my life. Q: You were once addicted to cocaine. It is no secret that there were a lot of drugs floating around on sets in the 1970s when you shot Baretta. What is it like today? DQ: I don’t know if there are still drugs around on sets anymore. Nowadays, I have no idea. I am far removed from it. Q: They say that the most surprising thing about you is how funny you are. Is that true?

“I will work until they have to put me in a wheelchair and lift me on my horse.” – Dennis Quaid

DQ: Well, you’ve got to take life as it comes. Not everything is a laughing matter in life, but you have to be open to laughter and enjoy the good moments in life. It’s important, it keeps you afloat. Q: How much longer do you think you will

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DQ: I will work until they have to put me in a wheelchair and lift me on my horse. I still enjoy it. I really do. Q: Do you still do most of your own stunts? I mean, you are not getting any younger… DQ: These days I just show up and see what the stunt guys come up with. I am an athlete. I still like to have some fun with it. I’ve never gotten in a fistfight outside of a movie. But I have done hundreds of fistfights on-screen. Q: What is the status of Hollywood today, in your opinion? DQ: Most movies today are remakes or based on a video game. I can count the films I am interested in on one hand. Q: Do you remember how you started out? DQ: Oh, yeah, absolutely. My trailer was my car. It was simple and cool. Life was easier then. Q: You were once married to Meg Ryan. What is your take on Hollywood marriages these days? DQ: You know that it’s not easy to put two

“I just want to live my life and enjoy my friends and family. I am not much different from anybody else out there.” – Dennis Quaid

actors together. There is all this traveling. Oftentimes, it ends up being a long-distance relationship. You don’t see each other that much, and it wears on you. Q: Is it important for you to be known, to be a celebrity? DQ: It kind of comes with the territory. But I never really sought out much publicity. I just want to live my life and enjoy my friends and family. I am not much different from anybody else out there. Recognized worldwide, Dennis Quaid has been an actor for over 40 years and has appeared in over 100 films. This year, Dennis plays the role of “Michael Lennox” in the television series Fortitude, based on a town in the Arctic Circle where there has never been a violent crime — until now.

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work?

May/June 2017 | Home Business

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25 Network Marketing Programs to Join in 2017 By Jeremy Page Here are 25 multi-level marketing companies based on trends and your ability to make money in 2017: #25. Empower Network: Back in 2013, co-founders Dave Wood and Dave Sharpe were like Tupac. Empower Network was cult and their message was unapologetic: “Don’t be a damned wussy and buy all the products”. Somewhere along the way, they stopped updating their original digital products and the vision was lost. These days, you can hop on a random Empower Network webinar and still see Dave Wood spitting knowledge from his mansion in Costa Rica. All of the original leaders are gone except for Lawrence Tam and Tracy Walker, but don’t ever count Dave Wood out. #24. World Ventures: World Ventures makes the list for making network marketing look “fun”. The vacation membership company targets millennials with a sleek campaign which shows people posting travel pictures with “You Should Be Here” signs. No other MLM’s come close to nailing the younger market minus Wake Up Now and Vemma, both of which went under in 2015. Maybe a bad sign? Still, you’d think more MLMs would catch on to Instagram-centric campaigns. Tacky or not, it seems to be working. #23. Wealthy Affiliate: Ask any Wealthy Affiliate member if they’re MLM and they’ll probably cuss you out. Although technically not an MLM, Wealthy Affiliate offers hosting and a solid digital product lineup that draws comparisons to other MLM digital product companies (see: Digital Altitude, Tecademics, MOBE, MLSP, Empower Network). Give ‘em credit, though…they’re still one of the bigger digital communities in 2017. #22. Nerium: Nerium slipped. A nasty lawsuit seemed to divide the company, but they’re still hanging around as one of the better skincare options in network marketing. They’ve got badges to prove their worth: Inc. 500, DSA membership and some meh sponsorships. #21. Usana: Usana makes the list by sheer numbers ($918 million revenue in 2015). Their forecast doesn’t look super pretty, but they’re not tanking, either. Still, they’ve been

voted one of the “50 Best Places to Work” and they’ve partnered with the controversial yet iconic Dr. Oz. Think what you like about Dr. Oz, but that’s actually a modest endorsement in network marketing. #20. Mary Kay Cosmetics: I know, go high-five your fifty-something aunt right now. Mary Kay has been hanging in the beauty world for a half century and they’re still considered visionary. What other 50 year-old beauty business wins “best website” and “best Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube” awards? And they’re not merely “hanging on”, either. In 2014 they did $4 billion sales and their global sales force topped the 3.5 million mark. They are still one of the largest direct sellers of skincare products and cosmetics, no small win for this cutthroat industry driven by fickle consumers. #19. Nu Skin: Up there with Mary Kay and Amway, Nu Skin makes the billion dollar club easily. With over $2 billion in annual sales, they’re a candidate for any top list and they’re the clear-cut veteran skincare network marketing company. Still, they’re not as hot as they were 5 years ago, and it’s tough to say if they’ll be on this list 5 years from now. They donate lots of money to charity, but they’ve had their fair share of scandal and affairs so it’s hard to say what their image is these days. One thing I do know: I’ve never met anyone under 30 who promotes Nu Skin, and I lived down the street from them for 5 years. #18. Avon: The only MLM to rival Amway’s fortune, fame, and size is Avon. With over 6 billion in revenue in 2015 plus worldwide recognition, they’re already in the MLM hall of fame. They’re sliding, though. Revenue is falling in North America and their sales force is shrinking. Revenue slid 19% in 2013 and 7% in Mexico. Skip ahead to July 2015 and revenue is still spiraling downward, with a 17% drop. Analysts blame Avon’s failure to maintain a strong identity for its products as well as the strong dollar. Lesson: Always re-create yourself. #17. Arbonne: Over three decades selling skincare products, soon Arbonne will be up there with Mary Kay in terms of ancient relics still pushing lotions. Huge success here, with annual sales topping $502 million. Still, like Nu Skin, trends would show they’re past their

glory days. Their science is tight, management is blue chip, and products are continually renewed and upgraded for new generations. Arbonne represents the best of what other science MLMs should hope to be. A lock to consider for skincare companies. #16. Herbalife: Rest of the world: Hey, how’s it going? Herbalife: FINE. NOTHING TO SEE HERE. Lol. Herbalife is massive. Top 5 in revenue? Alllll day. Top 5 in brand recognition? Probably top 3. Still, it’s Herbalife, which has been universally panned by the media (their fault or not? doesn’t matter, still hurts ‘em) and have become nearly synonymous for “pyramid scheme”. Good news: They’ve recently settled with the FTC and agreed to pay back $200 million to former distributers. Probably not a good look, but it hasn’t stopped disciples to keep rolling with ‘em. #15. Beachbody: You’ve probably heard of P90X and Insanity workouts, right? They’re dazzlingly-sweaty workout DVDs sold via network marketing thanks to Beachbody. Beachbody gets saluted for sky-high revenue and mass recognition of their products. Both are testaments of what MLMs can be: “Greatproducts-first-and-the-money-will-follow” company. #14. Scentsy: Wickless, scented candles are blowing up, in case your older sister hasn’t told you already. Product is innovative. Flameless candles. It’s simple: People love their products. The Meridian, Idaho-based company competes with doTERRA for the most word-ofmouth marketing award (and perhaps the most likely to spam your Facebook timeline award), but their $537 million in annual sales are beast-mode. They’re one of the few companies that I would bet on being around 15 years from now. #13. Pampered Chef: Will high-end kitchen gadgets ever not be hot? Pampered Chef products were made to be sold at home parties and that’s why this company is still putting up numbers. The unofficial Pampered Chef guide to recruiting: Step 1: invite your friends to come over and watch Scandal Step 2: ask them to watch a presentation afterwards and pull out their credit cards Kidding, kind of. They were super-hot, but they’ve cooled off. The Berkshire-Hathaway entity was recently profiled for revenue Continued on page 24

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25 Network Marketing Programs to Join in 2017 Continued from page 22

declines and job layoffs. #12. Forever Living: Forever Living probably deserves a spot because of their long-term dedication to the aloe vera plant and products made from it. Aloe vera is hot right now. It’s rare you see a plant steadily climb over the years. That screams longevity over the other hundreds of other “full service wellness” companies. Founded in 1978, they’ve made the Forbes 400, the Inc 500 and $2.6 billion in revenue. Further reading: The SINGLE most effective way to kill your job (not MLM) (http://multiplestreams.org/squeeze/?=mlm-further-reading) #11. Isagenix: Trends search show Isagenix neck-and-neck with Advocare, so they’re buzzing nicely these days. They’re still one of the hottest network marketing companies, although I’m not sure what makes them different from all the other nutri-MLMs out there. They don’t have the sponsorships like Advocare, but maybe that can be used to say they pay out more to distributors? Overwhelming-positive product reviews on Amazon, a solid comp plan and strong sales make this a top-15 lock for 2017. #10. Amway: If revenue numbers were all that mattered, Amway is #1 or #2 (behind Avon). What a curious run they’ve had. Amway is so universally recognized it’s become a household word and a Ponzi scheme joke at the same time. It’s a tough one to shake off. Nevertheless, you can’t deny winning numbers like $9.5 billion and 3 million distributors. Or naming rights to an NBA arena. Brand upside for Amway? Aaron Gordon blossoms into a poor-man’s Blake Griffin, and the Amway Center gets more runs on TNT and ESPN. That’s all I got. #9. Wor(l)d Global Network: WGN is blazing hot and they’re cashing in on the wearables trend. I’m not mad, it’s actually brilliant. Not sure if they’ll be around in 5 years, but they’re hot right now. Their latest release is a health-tracking and disease-monitoring wristband called HELO. They also did $157 million in revenue, and they’re just starting to pop off. Digging the innovation here, but I’m banking these technologies will be in all smartphones 5 years from now. Will they continue to re-create themselves? Further reading: The page you need to see before joining any MLM (http://multiplestreams. org/squeeze/?=mlm-further-reading) 24

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#8. Ambit Energy: Think: ACN but better. Ambit has hit the Inc 5000 for 3 years in a row, and they seem to keep trending. They promise lower, fixed prices for natural gas and electric services, so they’re clearly less sexy than most network companies on this list. And that’s probably why they’ve thrived. No glitz and glamour, just practical savings. #7. Young Living: Essential oils are still red-hot. And YL was the first in this category. Used for wellness, cleaning and beauty, essential oils are natural, have few side effects, and hundreds of home applications. Their lavender fields are famous and they control every aspect of production from planting to bottling so quality is a big deal with this line. Founder Gary Young is famous for setting quality standards for the entire essential oils industry. So, what’s not to like? Uh, let’s just say it rhymes with “Moterra”. #6. Advocare: Advocare caught some bad PR and slid a bit. A recent ESPN report was a borderline hit-piece, covering mostly the negative aspects of network marketing, leaving the reader with ex-distributor quotes like these: “You catch people in a bad spot who maybe have hope that this could be a way for them to pay for their credit card and their kids, and you exploit them.” Ouch. Still, Brees is still rolling with ‘em, and they have the endorsements, products (Spark), programs (24-day challenge) and revenue to be a top 10 lock. #5. Tecademics: “Tec-a-who?”, you’re thinking. Chris Record’s new venture is an “online internet marketing education” that’s still being cooked up, so it’s the calm before the storm. Students can attend a real, classroom setting (I believe in Scottsdale) or study online. Thing is, dude hasn’t launched a wack venture to date, and he already has a team stacked with internet marketing big-leagues. Yes, this is based on speculation, but Tecademics would be on my short list of MLMs to consider in 2017. Concept makes too much sense. Just sayin. #4. Digital Altitude: What happens when you create an e-learning personal development program focused on digital business for budding entrepreneurs? And encourage affiliates to spend up to $25k on programs, masterminds and digital retreats? Correct answer: A bunch of internet marketers get rich. Digital Altitude is not just a money-grab, though, as their education teaches their distributors how to promote the products, which allows automation and scalability way past making a

list of family and friends or approaching welldressed people at Wal-Mart. That’s why it’s hot and will probably stay hot for a while. #3. Younique: In early 2017, 60% of Younique was sold to Coty for $600 milly, putting their valuation near $1 billion. Clap for ‘em. Good news for distributors: Derek Maxfield and the leadership is still intact, and the social-media driven cosmetics company is still thriving with their $19 lipsticks and $39 moisturizers. Younique blew up in Utah the last few years, cornering the market with cosmetic home parties for women who want empowerment. Powerful messaging that works. #2. Jeunesse: Another winning product line here. Jeunesse products work super, super well. Even MLM-cynics need to show love for a product that rids wrinkles. People will always want to look younger, and Instantly Ageless cream continues to make waves. They were the #1 fastest growing Direct Selling Association company on the Inc 500 and poached Alex Morton months before Vemma went under in 2015. Savage AF? Trending and a product that works really, really well? That’s rare in network marketing. #1. doTERRA: A recent third-party survey said 9 out 10 people that live in the Eastern USA have never heard of “doTERRA”. Translation: they’re poised for exponential growth. doTERRA has been cult in Utah for some time, (33% of the consumers in the Rocky Mountain region) but now people all over the world are becoming strangely passionate about using essential oils. Capitalizing on millennials who love going “all-natural”, doTERRA is buzzing from church parking lots to your married, twenty-something sister’s Instagram feed. After only five years in business, they broke ground on a $60 million headquarters in Pleasant Grove, Utah. A spin-off from Young Living, doTERRA started much later (2008) and manages to have the momentum. Bottom line: They’re the clear leader in the essential oils market (a trending, distinguished niche), making doTERRA my #1 MLM pick of 2017. Jeremy Page’s article was originally published here: multiplestreams.org/mlm. Even though Jeremy Page runs one of the biggest network marketing blogs on the internet, he does not belong to any of them. He went in a different direction and 3x his income. Learn more here: multiplestreams.org/hbm www.homebusinessmag.com

4/3/17 2:04 PM

FIND YOUR BUSINESS! Worlds Largest Directory of Home-Based Businesses, Franchises and Opportunities.

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4/4/17 8:57 AM

SUCCESS STORIES

Consuming Nutrition from Plants Author and Clean Living Advocate Launches Multifaceted Health and Lifestyle Company By Sherilyn Colleen

ith many strings to her bow, Amanda J. Sloan from New Zealand has developed niche market products and services, by being true to her inner desire to help others live a clean lifestyle. Her many talents and passions have been incorporated into her business. 19 years ago, Sloan’s son had dairy allergies and her close friends and boyfriend were going vegan. A skilled cook and fan of vegan philosophies, she tried recipes and wrote a book, as a gift for her boyfriend. She then decided to write an actual book and publish it; this first book was titled Animal Free Recipe Book. A single mom, Sloan had just finished her natural therapy course, where she learned that most health conditions can be alleviated with food. Sloan was interested in starting her own natural therapy business and was a regular columnist for Healthy Options Magazine. Her brand has since grown into Celeste Enterprises, to incorporate all that she does including: art, music, teaching dance, writing/producing

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theatre, script writing, hairstyling, remedies, and design. “For the book strand of the business (and most of the other strands), my goal was to inspire people to be healthy, and give those that need it the tool to detox, eat whole foods to improve health conditions, and have better skin,” Sloan shares. Fresh Cuisine Recipe Book is her third book and second recipe book. This gluten/sugar free and vegan cookbook has many unique and tasty recipes that are sweetened using fresh fruits, nuts and spices. Sloan’s book is built on her already existing vegan/vegetarian cookbook, after receiving many requests for gluten/sugar free recipes. The vision she has for the book is to help improve the world’s health, lifestyle and environment. It offers a diet which goes back to the basics of gathering nutrition from plants and using fresh unprepared food. The book has been launched in some local libraries

Amanda J. Sloan is the founder of Celeste Enterprises.

and cafés, and has been successfully sold to many health food stores and societies in New Zealand. Some of Sloan’s business’s achievements include painting a local marine life mural, writing and recording two CDs of music that are now for sale, and having her own column “Remedies in the Pantry” for three years. Sloan would love to see her and her business in a few years being self-supported through her creativity. Visit https://www.facebook.com/ CelesteEnterprises/.

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4/4/17 9:00 AM

World’s First Gift Cards for Stock Stockpile Provides an Innovative Solution to the Daunting World of Investing

By Frank Johnson

nvesting in stock is often an expensive, complicated, and time-consuming process; options need to be weighed, sometimes immense funds need to be gathered, and quite a bit of skill is required to actually earn a profit. Because of the difficulty, many people refrain from investing in stock and miss out on the many benefits. When Avi Lele decided to buy stock for his nieces and nephews, he found the expense and process were too great. Lele was astonished there wasn’t an easier solution, which led to an innovative idea. Lele co-founded Stockpile, a company offering the world’s first gift cards for stock. The company was started with a determination to combat the difficulties people face with investing in the stock market, making it more accessible to everyone. Stockpile allows users to purchase fractional shares of stock in affordable denominations, so the high prices of popular stock is no longer a deterrent of investing. Available in 14,000 grocery and retail

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locations nationwide, the cards come in $25, $50 or $100 denominations, or are available online for any denomination up to $1,000. “Most people have never had an opportunity to own stock in their favorite companies because it’s too expensive and complicated to get started,” Lele says. “You can’t do anything with $25 at a traditional brokerage. Stockpile removes those barriers by using fractional shares and bringing the stock market to you.” Stockpile makes it extremely easy and affordable to purchase and even trade stock. Gift cards can be used to buy the stock they are designated for, or the recipient can select another stock of their liking. Once redeemed, the user has real stock in an actual brokerage account, and can decide to hold on to it and track its progress, buy more, or sell it. The system is straightforward and simple, allowing even kids and teens to easily get involved (youth can own stock by having an adult on the account with them).

Avi Lele is the founder of Stockpile.

The Palo Alto based company is revolutionizing stock ownership by bringing investment options to millions of consumers and making the process easy and understandable. Stockpile has provided an innovative solution to the daunting world of investing, and encourages financial literacy, empowerment, and inclusion by giving access to more people while providing step-by-step guidance. Learn more about Stockpile at www.stockpile.com.

May/June 2017 | Home Business

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BUSINESSES & OPPORTUNITIES

4 Ways to Rapidly Grow Your Ecommerce Business Save Time and Increase Your Bottom Line By Kevin Gibbon

t’s no secret the ecommerce opportunity is large — online sales grew faster in 2016 than the previous three years. But with big sales come big demands and customers have come to expect simple, one-click shopping with speedy shipping options. Providing the “Amazon experience” on your own is costly, time-consuming and can hold you back from giving your business the attention it needs to grow. A variety of new, accessible tech tools can help automate routine internal processes and tedious administrative work. Here are the top four aspects of your ecommerce business you can streamline — with the help of technology — to save time and increase your bottom line. 1. Invest in a Scalable Ecommerce Software Shopping anything and everything online is the new norm (the Web made up almost 42% of all growth in the U.S. retail market last year). As a blossoming business, you can’t afford to fall behind and miss out on such a lucrative opportunity. To put it simply, selling online requires a website — one that can display your inventory, collect orders, accept payments and provide a place for your customers to interact with your brand. Ecommerce software makes this easy, especially if you don’t have development experience. Luckily, choosing the right one has never been easier. Whether you already have some skin in the ecommerce game or are looking to take your brick and mortar offerings online, try a platform like Shopify or Squarespace.

an online presence, you can simply plug your existing URL to build out a fresh, customized storefront based on Shopify’s vast library of templates. With a few more mouse clicks you can easily set up payment processes, add new product listings, display return and exchange policies, and establish state taxes and shipping rates. Best of all, Shopify seamlessly integrates with your brick and mortar store, so you can manage all of your inventory and process payments with consistency using the same platform.

Utilize tech tools to automate routine processes and tedious administrative work.

2. Utilize a Cloud-Based CRM to Track and Act on Sales Leads Sales are the lifeblood of any business. Unfortunately for many aspiring entrepreneurs, generating leads and turning them into sales is a major challenge.

“Whether you already have some skin in the ecommerce game or are looking to take your brick and mortar offerings online, try a platform like Shopify or Squarespace.” Finding a reliable customer relationship management (CRM) system can make a huge difference in organizing your efforts so you get the most out of your limited time and

resources. CRM software helps keep track of all interactions with customers and leads so that you can reach out to them in a personalized way that resonates every time. Every business has different needs, so research which product best fits your company in terms of budget and required features. (Do you need CRM to nurture leads? To deliver better customer support?) In general, there are a number of paid and free CRM systems to choose from — popular options include Zoho CRM, Insightly and Salesforce. Zoho CRM and Insightly are excellent free software options that don’t skimp on capability and are highly scalable as your business grows. Salesforce, on the other hand, is typically associated with larger businesses and enterprises — but also offers a small business option that is affordable and provides access to the product’s core set of robust tools and resources.

Squarespace provides powerful tools that can help you build out a modern, attractive online storefront from scratch. If this is your first step into the ecommerce space, Squarespace is a versatile and inexpensive option for those just getting started selling their products online. Those with higher volume should consider Shopify, which costs more but will allow you to build a more feature-laden online shop. If you already have 28

In today’s digital landscape, there are an endless number of completely free ways to get your business message out there. If you haven’t dipped your toe in the water on email or social media marketing yet, it’s time to jump in.

Take advantage of tools to schedule social media posts and monitor conversations.

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3. Automate Email Marketing and Track Social Media Conversations to Build Brand Loyalty

Email marketing has the highest return on investment than any other digital marketing strategies, and with products like MailChimp it’s easier than ever to set up an automated Continued on page 30

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BUSINESSES & OPPORTUNITIES

4 Ways to Rapidly Grow Your Ecommerce Business Continued from page 28

email campaign. MailChimp offers a free account for up to 2,000 contacts with no cap on the number of messages you send. The service comes with a wide variety of templates you can use to craft your message — along with options to import contacts, track campaign performance and auto-respond to your most (or least) engaged customers. Social media is another digital marketing technique that smart companies are embracing as a catalyst for brand growth. Every small business owner should take advantage of tools to automate social media posts and monitor conversations. Simple platforms like Hootsuite allow you to schedule important posts ahead of time and identify when your brand is mentioned, so you can spend less time posting company updates and more time jumping in on actual conversations with customers and prospects. Hootsuite’s easy-to-use interface can also scale with your brand as your social media presence grows.

“MailChimp offers a free account for up to 2,000 contacts with no cap on the number of messages you send.” 4. Outsource Your Shipping and Fulfillment Needs Once you’re actually making sales at a regular cadence, one of the most difficult challenges of running an ecommerce shop is fulfilling those orders. Buying special boxes, comparing carrier rates, printing shipping labels and actually packaging products can eat up hours of your day (not to mention saddle you with unexpected costs) that you should be using to grow your business. If you’ve been handling fulfillment for your ecommerce store all on your own, I’m sure this boxing nightmare sounds familiar. All that added work and expense is enough to shutter even a thriving online shop, but it doesn’t have to be that way. An app called Shyp (full disclosure: I am the founder and CEO) is aiming to make fulfillment easy for ecommerce businesses and marketplace sellers alike. With Shyp, you have a number of easyto-use options that can blend seamlessly into your workflow. No more self-packaging boxes or printing dozens of shipping labels — just supply the products and order information and Shyp will handle the rest. And the service 30

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How to Be a Lazy but Successful Private Entrepreneur I have been running my coaching business for five years now and I can confidently claim that I helped a lot of people to improve their businesses. I am not a traditional entrepreneur as I have a lot of free time during the workday. Here are tips to become a successful but somewhat lazy business owner as well. Tip #1: Keep your business model simple. My own business coaching company and the people I am working with have relatively simple business models. We can be easily reached online, and we use one sales channel that has us getting potential customers onto a mailing list, reaching them with an effective message. Tip #2: Work during peak productivity periods. Each person has a limited time of brain energy sufficient to perform all tasks for the day. As far as I am concerned, I am a morning bird, so the time between 7 am and 1 pm is the time when I can perform all business tasks remarkably well and without any waste in time and additional resources. Tip #3: Trust and delegate. I am a CEO of a medium business, so I have a lot of responsibilities that should be attended to. In many cases, I would not have accomplished them even if I was a workaholic living in the office, so I have found delegation extremely useful, as it’s been a great tool for having more time for myself, and motivating and improving the skills of my team. Tip #4: Do not use email all day. Emails can destroy or severely decrease both individual and group productivity because they can be a great distraction. Instead of turning off the sound of your phone, turn off the notifications, which prevents the phone from making any sort of noise. Tip #5: Avoid day-to-day operations. These operations should be done by your employees because your role as the owner or manager is to propel the company and improve it. Designate daily operations, such as preparing reports, to reliable employees and focus on doing what is strategically important. I need to confess that avoiding daily operations was not my idea, but Michael Gerber’s who is an excellent business writer (The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It). Do not be afraid to do the same and read business literature to become a smarter entrepreneur! Tom Jager is a professional blogger. He works at A-writer. He has degrees in Law and English literature. Tom has written numerous articles/online journals. Visit https://www.facebook.com/tom.jager777.

is already integrated into e-commerce tools like eBay and Shopify, which makes fulfilling orders on those platforms straightforward and easy. Utilizing tech tools to automate some of the drudgery won’t eliminate all of the challenges associated with running an ecommerce shop. But it will ease the burden by taking care of the heavy lifting, freeing you up so you can focus on what really matters — connecting with

your customers, delivering a superior product and growing your business. Kevin Gibbon started Shyp in 2013 to make shipping items anywhere in the world as easy as two taps on a smartphone. An engineer by training, Kevin previously founded Shoparound, an iPhone application that garnered a top 100 ranking. Before Shoparound, Kevin led the Boeing engineering team, where he was responsible for creating the organization’s first iPad application approved for cockpit use. Under Kevin’s leadership, Shyp has raised over $60 million in venture capital from venerated investors including Kleiner Perkins and SherpaVentures, and gathered prestigious accolades like being named one of the 30 companies changing the world by CNN. Visit www.shyp.com.

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4/4/17 9:12 AM

MARKETING & SALES

Four Marketing Pillars Build a Business as Strong as the Parthenon By Scott Wilson

ating back to Ancient Greece and Egypt, monumental structures have relied on the strength of stone pillars, working together to support an immense amount of weight and pressure. Over the past 2,500 years, the Parthenon has been rocked by earthquakes, blown up by exploding gunpowder and suffered severe fire damage, yet it and its pillars still stand today. The way we apply digital and online marketing to a business is no different. Every business should be built upon the same principle, using a plethora of marketing pillars to uphold the pressure of its success, and together produce significant results. Every day I encounter many businesses that have one pillar, and in simpler words, put all their eggs in one basket. When the one pillar they have relied so heavily on comes crashing down, they can find themselves in a hard freefall to the ground. There is a significant risk of having one or two pillars, which is why I recommend the Parthenon approach. Here are four of the many marketing pillars businesses should use to build a solid foundation: Search Engine Optimization: Earning top rankings in natural organic Google search is still one of the best ways to grow a business. But many business owners think content is king when it isn’t. Right now, Google has indexed over 60 trillion web pages, and we all know that when we do a search, we pick from the top few. When a consumer is searching for your product or service, it is crucial that your business cuts through the clutter of now 130 trillion web pages to end up among the first few results. One tactic is to write 2,500 words of unique and compelling text and check it with copyscape.com to make sure the content is truly unique. Your main keywords should be inserted 19 times, as inserting it more than that could be considered ‘keyword stuffing,’ and your website could be sent for human review and a potential penalty. Include different variations of your main keywords such as plurals and singulars into the mixture, as well as variant names for your product (i.e. laptop and notebook computer).

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The use of latent semantic language lets Google find relationships between those keywords and the ones in the search query. For example, if you are selling golf clubs then the words driver, iron, and putter are related. Also, include brands like Taylor Made and Callaway. Consumer testimonials are also a great method to include keywords and organically improve Google ranking. Search Engine Marketing: While it may take a while to earn Google’s trust through SEO, Search Engine Marketing can be turned on fairly quickly. With Build a solid foundation for your business SEM, businesses pay to play and are relewith four key marketing pillars. vant, while maintaining full control of speed and budget. SEM allows you to target your one-size-fits-all, so it is important to deterprospective customers through search engines mine which social media channels work best such as Google, Bing, and AOL. for your organization and the nature of your Say you are a contractor and can only han- business. dle three projects at a time. SEM can run until YouTube: the three projects are scheduled, be turned off Having a branded YouTube channel for a and then turned back on when one of the projects is complete — allowing you to turn the business can be a powerful marketing pillar volume up or down as preferred. as many consumers go to YouTube to search information about a company, and to gain a better understanding of the product or service they offer by seeing it in action. The most powerful YouTube videos explain the benefit of the product or service your business offers, and often-times include customer testimonials.

“SEM allows you to target your prospective customers through search engines such as Google, Bing, and AOL.”

SEM also allows you to run AB testing on coupons and special offers — this is cross-pillar optimization. Let’s say you test different offers and one of them did very well and resonated with your audience; you can now also use it with SEO, social media, print media, etc. knowing that the data you collected means something and will provide results. Paid Social Media Ads: Social media advertising allows you to target your customers based on location and demographic, minimizing the amount of marketing time spent where your consumer base is not present. Major social media players include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and LinkedIn. But social media is not

YouTube videos can be easily integrated with SEO, SEM, and can be embedded on your social media channels or websites for better results. It is highly recommended that your YouTube channel, as well as any other forms of marketing, match your organization’s brand. Business owners and marketers must ensure each of these digital and online marketing pillars are given equal focus, attention and importance, and that they are working well both independently as well as collaboratively. The moment trends change and consumer behaviours follow, businesses must re-evaluate and come up with a similar Parthenon approach to fit their present needs. Scott Wilson is the Founder and CEO of RankHigher.ca, a Burlington, Ont.-based digital marketing, and SEO firm. He is considered Canada’s leading speaker on SEO, web sales, internet marketing and social media ROI. For more information on RankHigher, please visit www.rankhigher.ca/.

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4/6/17 2:43 PM

MARKETING & SALES

PR and SEO: The Winning Combination By On Yavin

t should come as no surprise that the internet is one of the most powerful tools that marketers have ever seen. It enables brands to connect to customers in the most intimate way ever, yet, the internet offers an interesting paradox because there are so many users on the web that it is easy to get lost among all the noise. That’s why a website’s ranking on search engines like Google is so important to getting your brand seen by the public. The craft of getting a website to the top of the search engine results page is known as search engine optimization — also referred to as SEO. The business of SEO is complex and involves a lot of know-how and industry knowledge. But as a marketer you should be aware of an unapparent perfect match: SEO and PR. They may seem like an unsuitable couple, but the truth is that SEO and PR have a lot in common. Both aim to bring awareness and visibility to your brand and to increase the credibility of your company. If you are able to use the two in conjunction, you may be able to generate a consistent source of quality leads for your company.

Google uses links to determine how popular and trustworthy your website is. Each link is essentially an endorsement, confirming that your website is an authority on the topic it addresses. The more of these links you have, and the more authoritative the sources they are coming from, the higher Google will rank your website. Where PR Comes into Play

SEO and PR both aim to bring awareness, visibility and credibility to your brand.

So what’s the role of PR in this whole story? A properly executed public relations plan can be a great way to develop valuable links to your website from respected and reputable sources on the web. Via outreach, partnerships, and other opportunities, you should be able to build a large amount of awareness of your brand.

“ A properly executed

SEO is a tricky science. Results can be achieved by following a formula, but the formula is extremely sophisticated and only experts truly know how to break it down. Similarly, SEO takes a lot of coordinated efforts, creativity, and technical knowledge to get good placements on the major search engines.

public relations plan can be a great way to develop valuable links to your website from respected and reputable sources on the web.

There are a few key aspects about SEO that are important to understand. Google — and other search engines for that matter — uses complex algorithms to determine how websites are listed on its results page. The algorithm is “secret”, but it is known that certain factors — like content and links — are more important than others.

The end goal is to get as many high-quality mentions on the web as possible, with links leading back to your website. A good PR strategy should be able to get materials published on trusted media and/or government websites. This will have a double effect: the links will help your SEO efforts but the publications may also lead potential customers to your website.

One part of the SEO process involves the on-site work like keyword research and making sure the site has the proper architecture. This technical work is ongoing and constantly changing, but your website can remain up to date by following developments like those published on Google’s Developers Blog.

Develop content that is appealing and relevant to the customer to get as much traction as possible. It should be informative and interesting, while simultaneously offering some sort of value that customers can’t get anywhere else. Also, don’t forget that the internet is also a visual medium. You want your content to include materials that users can interact with like quality photographs and video.

SEO: A Short Introduction

The more elusive part of SEO is generating links and quality content for your website. 34

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”

Measuring Your Efforts Once you have begun implementing a combined SEO-PR strategy, you should keep an eye on the metrics that will reveal whether your strategy is working or not. By constantly monitoring your efforts, you’ll know if you’re making a difference or if you need to adapt or change your strategy in some way. One of the most important metrics to watch is the amount of organic traffic that is coming to your website. This will give you an idea of where users are coming from and how they are finding your website. If your strategy is working well, organic leads should increase over time. You can also keep an eye on the links that are pointing to your website. Specific tools on the web can help you judge the quality of links; this will give you some insight into which areas require your focus and which can be left as is. Overall, in the internet era, the importance of SEO and PR can’t be underestimated. Developing a combined SEO-PR strategy may seem like an uphill battle, but if you are able to do it successfully, there will be countless benefits. The stronger your plan of action is, the more visitors you’ll have on your site and the more sales you’ll generate. On Yavin is the Founder and CEO of Online Performance, a company specialized in providing SEO services and Founder and UK CEO of Exactive Marketing, an advertising agency, focused on digital marketing. He is an expert in search engine optimization (SEO) with years of experience in web and mobile marketing. Visit http:// operformance.com/.

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SUCCESS STORIES

Bringing Art to Life Unique Fashion Brand Creates Wearable Art While Supporting Refugees By Davisha Davis

hile studying Design and Sustainability, Nima Veiseh knew he would need to take a different approach to his new business venture, Dress Abstract. Dress Abstract is a unique company charged with a socially conscious quality.

prompted Veiseh to follow a socially conscious business model where they would not only employ refugees to work in Dress Abstract’s workshops throughout the country, but proceeds would go towards each individual so they can earn income working on their craft.

Each piece of the company’s clothing translates the beauty of art from canvas to clothing. Veiseh’s personal art pieces have been printed onto reversible trench coats, bow ties, leggings for both men and women, and scarves. Veiseh wanted to create a fashion company that would resemble a limited edition art collection as one would see at a museum. Thus, he is not concerned about selling products by the million. Every piece of Dress Abstract is masterfully inspected, tracked and signed making for the ultimate collectable item.

Veiseh also wanted to implement additional policies such as their “No-Landfill Promise” where they act as custodians to their items. Under this initiative, any and all damaged items can be resent to Dress Abstract for a 50% reimbursement credit towards new merchandise, to prevent waste pollution to the environment.

Aiming to push the boundaries of art, Veiseh wanted to infuse it with an idea that is often overlooked by fashion curators, influencers and the industry as a whole — the concept of human sustainability. This conception

Dress Abstract serves as the driving force to push out the agenda of supporting business that demands social, environmental and economic change. Veiseh’s supportive efforts to refugees, the environment and sustainability such as farming and pollution, has brought awareness to topics that are often overlooked. The artist’s latest project includes an

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Nima Veiseh is the founder of Dress Abstract.

hour-long TEDx Talk on “Memory and Mindfulness”. Viewers are able to learn more about his techniques on “tuning in” to what’s important and finding harmony even when one’s brain hits sensory overload. Additionally, viewers will have a virtual reality experience as they can scan the room 360 degrees to view his art studio and his personal collections of Dress Abstract original paintings and clothing. Although Dress Abstract is primary sold wholesale on their website, Veiseh plans to participate in several pop-up shops across the states. Visit www.dressabstract.com.

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Footwear with a Purpose Teaching Job in China Inspires Entrepreneur to Design Shoe Brand That Serves Humanity By Natalie DeRatt

nspired by adventure and dedicated to making the world a better place, BANGS invests 20% of their net profits in entrepreneurs worldwide. It all started when Hannah Davis — CEO and Founder of BANGS — was 22 years old, teaching English in China after college. Davis noticed the simple work boots worn by Chinese workers and farmers and had a lightbulb moment. Why not create a shoe brand that doesn’t just stop at making shoes? BANGS was born, the name inspired by the Chinese character for ‘help.’ “Like most college-aged students, I felt (and still feel) a sense of duty towards humanity, passionate about using my time to uplift our community,” notes Davis about her journey. “I wanted to create a company that invests in people.” Davis had an idea, she had a notebook full of designs, and she had a website. But she had no shoes. Her time in China eventually came to an end and she moved back to her

home state of South Carolina. Spending her free time working on her idea, she picked up a bartending gig in downtown Charleston, SC to save money. Just as she began realizing BANGS wouldn’t come to fruition without investment, she Hannah Davis is the CEO and founder of BANGS Shoes. had a visit from an older couple at her bar. Enjoying an afmomentum. Selling three styles of shoe in 8 ternoon drink, the couple asked Davis to tell different colors to the 16-24 age group, they them something interesting about her. Davis surpassed $1 million in sales in 2016 and have described her brand vision and how she want- been able to invest in 512 entrepreneurs in 60 ed to help change the world. As it happened, countries including America. Davis — who’s the gentlemen she was talking to was George still just 29 years old — runs the company enDerhofer, a former executive for the VF Cor- tirely online, using technology and social meporation, the same parent company to VANS, dia to connect with a team of 7 employees and Timberland and The North Face. Recently 1600+ brand ambassadors across the nation. retired and impressed with Davis’ vision, Der- Her goal? To grow BANGS to a $10 million hofer immediately jumped on board, provid- company, projecting an investment of $2 miling the investment to start making shoes. lion a year that would affect 80,000 entrepre5 years later, BANGS continues to gain neurs. Visit www.bangsshoes.com.

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May/June 2017 | Home Business

4/5/17 11:03 AM

HOME OFFICE

Make the Most of Your Minutes in Your Home Office 15 Quick Tips to Help You Master Time Management Skills By Jackie Gaines

sk any home-based business owner what they could use more of, and you’ll probably keep getting the same answer. The truth is, we are always going to have obligations, deadlines, and responsibilities, but if you learn how to handle your hot minutes, you can work with the clock instead of against it. Here are no-fail tips to help you make the most of your time and achieve a healthier and happier work-life balance. 1. Prioritize sleep so you can function when you’re awake. Schedule sleep like any other daily activity on your to-do list. Pencil in a stopping point in your day and stick to it without fail. Then wind down with a book or another relaxing bedtime ritual to help you drift off to sleep. 2. Establish what the “workday” means to you. It’s common for clients to call or e-mail you after hours, but it is up to you to decide whether or not you’re available after hours. Make sure you respectfully address your “workday” limits to your clients upfront, so everyone is clear on the boundaries.

“ Saying no is a skill that will beneﬁt you throughout life, so allow yourself to politely start bowing out of unnecessary commitments right now.

”

3. Don’t stay on your e-mail all day. Constantly checking your inbox is distracting and slows you down. Designate a few times in your workday to check e-mail so that you remain in control of your schedule and aren’t being reactive to new messages as they appear. 4. Choose human connection over technology. Though technology has improved our lives, it comes with its own set of problems. E-mails and texts are convenient, but they create room for confusion and miscommunication. Whenever possible, talk in person in order to get your message across clearly. 38

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5. Learn to say no and mean it. It’s okay to turn down invitations, cancel plans, or disconnect from Make the most of your time and achieve a healthier and the outside world every happier work-life balance. now and then. Saying no is a skill that will benefit you throughout life, so allow youron the weekends and on some evenings but try self to politely start bowing out of unnecessary to make work fun, too. commitments right now. 13. Practice breathing and mindful6. Set achievable goals each day. Even ness. Imagine how productive you could be the most thoughtfully constructed to-do list if you could focus, calm all anxious thoughts, will be useless if it is too ambitious. Make your and truly be present. You can find out by pracdaily goals small enough that you can actually ticing mindfulness. Methods include tai chi, get them done. Remember that you can always meditation, yoga, or simple breathing exercisdo more if you have the time. es. Find one that resonates for you and practice 7. Give multitasking the ax. People work it daily. best when they give focused attention to the 14. Stop owning other people’s stuff. task at hand. So aim to work on only one projHow often do you hear yourself saying, ect at a time and give yourself permission to “Never mind, I’ll do it myself?” Hold others forget about other priorities until you are done. accountable for their responsibilities. This in8. Listen up! Active listening consists of cludes your children, your spouse, and your being present and engaged when communi- colleagues. cating with another person. Be sure to turn off 15. Let go and delegate. Learn to know that pesky inner monologue and focus when it when to let someone else handle a task. It can is the other person’s turn to speak. be hard to relinquish control, but it is also 9. Don’t be a sheep. Stop following the necessary to delegate to your employees. Reherd and innovate in the name of productivity. member that delegating is not admitting you If you can envision a way to work smarter and can’t handle your responsibilities — not at all. better, you may just create new best practices Rather, it’s about maximizing the potential of in your home office that will save time and in- your entire business. crease quality. You can either let your priorities and obli10. Stop shuffling papers. Touch each gations run your life, or you can take charge sheet of paper just once and figure out the ap- of your minutes and let them work for you to propriate action. Either put it in a to-do pile achieve your goals in a timely manner. While so you can deal with it immediately, a file (for you won’t ever succeed long-term by racing the documents you must keep), or the trash. clock, you can drop your bad habits, improve 11. Step away from the Internet. An in- ineffective practices, and kick stress to the nocent little break often turns into an hour (or curb so that your whole life improves. more) of wasted time that you can’t get back — especially when you should be working or headed to bed. Shut off access to the Internet at a certain time each day to avoid getting lost in cyberspace. 12. Have some fun along the way. Relax and schedule “recharge time” into your life to avoid burnout. Be sure to build in time for fun

Jackie Gaines is a high-performing senior executive with a progressive career encompassing more than 38 years of sustained leadership and accomplishments with major health systems and organizations. With passion, creative energy, and vision, she motivates diverse groups of people toward success. She has dedicated most of her career to the advancement of quality healthcare programs throughout the United States, particularly those focused on the care of the poor and underserved. Jackie lectures all over the country and has received numerous awards along the way. Visit www.studergroup.com/people/jackie-gaines.

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4/3/17 2:09 PM

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4/4/17 10:32 AM

HOME OFFICE

Epson’s Versatile Document Scanners Streamline Workflow for Home-Based Business Owners

pson America, Inc., a leading provider of digital imaging solutions, unveiled two business solutions in October: the DS-530 and DS-1630 commercial document scanners. Editor-in-Chief Stacy Ann Henderson had the privilege of testing out the DS-530, and was impressed by the greater efficiency achieved with the sleek and high-functioning scanner. She believes Epson should be a top choice for home-based business owners to consider when deciding on equipment for their home office spaces. The DS-530 and the DS-1630 offer a complete set of software tools, allowing entrepreneurs to make a seamless transition to a paperless office. Both models feature a 50page auto document feeder (ADF) for versatile scanning and come fully equipped with TWAIN and ISIS drivers for seamless integration with existing document management systems. The DS-530 offers scan speeds up to 35 ppm/70 ipm with enhanced paper feeding

technology, making it one of the fastest, most accurate scanners in its class. The DS-1630 is a versatile auto-duplex, flatbed document scanner ideal for virtually any task, including documents up to 8.5” x 14, offering speeds up to 25 ppm. Users can also take advantage of the flatbed to scan IDs, passports, fragile items and bulky items such as booklets and textbooks.

DS-530 commercial document scanner

Epson makes it easy for business owners to incorporate high quality hardware into their existing infrastructure to streamline operations. The new document management solutions include TWAIN and ISIS drivers for simple integration with document management systems, enabling users to save time and money by directly scanning files into their existing workflow.

or Mac, to online storage accounts including Dropbox, SharePoint, FileBound, Evernote and Google Drive. In addition, both scanners are equipped with a robust software package including Epson Document Capture, ABBYY FineReader and Presto! BizCard Reader. Both models also feature Epson Image Processing Technology for text and image enhancements such as auto crop, blank page and background removal. The OCR software can be used to either create searchable PDFs or editable files with Word and Excel.

Both models offer easy one-touch scanning for users to directly save their files to folders, email and with Epson Document Capture software installed on a connected Windows PC

For more information about the Epson DS530 color duplex document scanner and DS1630 flatbed color document scanner, visit epson.com/buy-direct-estore.

Oprah Winfrey’s “Favorite Things” Founder of FIJI Water Launches Startup Cultivated from the Pure Volcanic Soil of His Private Island Wakaya By Jennifer Halliday

IJI Water was founded by David H. Gilmour who successfully grew it to become one of the most iconic and fastest-growing premium beverages in the US. Since his entrepreneurial pursuits began some 60 years ago, Mr. Gilmour has raised 12 startups, from conception through success including Clairtone Stereo, Barrick Gold Corporation, Zinio Digital Publishing and more.

In 2011, Gilmour began his crowning achievement, Wakaya Perfection. Borne and hand-cultivated in the pure volcanic soil of his private island of Wakaya in Fiji, this startup leveraged ancient health secrets with the hottest trends in health and nutrition today — ginger, turmeric, sea salt, & dilo oil. With the most efficacious products available, the world took notice. Oprah Winfrey added Wakaya Perfection products to her “favorite things” list twice, and Dr. Deepak Chopra helped formulate its premium teas. On January 1, 2016, Gilmour plucked his 12th startup from the shelves of retail giants, 40

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such as Saks and Williams Sonoma — and put it into the hands of Todd Smith and his team of network marketing experts. Knowing that hands-on marketing and aggressive expansion was key, Gilmour sought to bring his ultra-premium brand to the masses, enhancing millions of lives in the process. Pre-launch began in March of 2016 and captured the imagination of the industry, thousands of distributors and new customers. Smith and his team continue to introduce new products adding their “Spices of Life” to everything from energy drinks to nutritional supplements and weight loss systems. The company launched in October 2016, and 3 months later it hosted its Founders Cruise with a staggering attendance of over 400 Ambassadors from the US to Japan. In addition, Wakaya Perfection introduced a ground-breaking compensation plan that combined new and old-fashioned principles and put the lion’s share of compensation in the hands of those closest to the customers.

David H. Gilmour is the founder of Wakaya Perfection.

The company’s success has attracted celebrities such as 17-time Men’s Health Magazine cover model and celebrity fitness expert Owen McKibbin. McKibbin perfectly embraces the company’s “Wakaya Way” philosophy, which is founded on a strong ethical culture and a supportive community, and joins the ranks as its Fitness Spokesperson — leading the phenomenally successful bulaFITTM weight loss and fitness system. Wakaya Perfection continues to break growth records with its high-impact products and unique culture while fulfilling its mission to enhance people’s lives. Visit www.mywakaya.com. www.homebusinessmag.com

4/3/17 2:22 PM

No Cash? No Problem! How to Start a Business with No Money

oney shouldn’t necessarily be the reason a great idea gets shelved but sadly, a lack of cash is often the biggest reason why entrepreneurs put their plan on hold. It’s easy to assume that the only way a business will get off the ground is with major funding or the ability to raise ridiculous amounts of money, but that isn’t always the case. Fortunately, starting a business with no money (or very little) is entirely achievable according to Instant Offices. A Few Success Stories for Inspiration: The Kingston Group, an American residential construction and remodelling firm, was started by two childhood friends with around $500 to cover licensing fees. Six years later it grew into a 3-million-dollar company.

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Richard Branson’s probably one of the most inspiring stories for any entrepreneur. With just £300 from his mother he started his magazine ‘Student’, which was the catalyst for the entire Virgin Company. Today he’s worth over 5.1 billion dollars.

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Having pooled together $8,000 of their own cash and taking out loans, the three founders of Starbucks took their idea and ran with it, turning the company into a billion-dollar company almost 10 years later.

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Billionaire founder of Topshop Philip Green started his company with $20,000. He used the startup capital to import jeans from the Far East to sell to London retailers.

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Using a $700 loan, John Paul DeJoria cofounded the Paul Mitchell line of hair care products and went on to become a billionaire businessman.

It’s virtually impossible to avoid incurring any costs at all when starting a business, but there are a few ways to keep them to an absolute minimum and still get things to progress. 1. Source Cash in Creative Ways When bank loans, pitching to investors and other funding methods aren’t an option, creative entrepreneurs find a way to raise the cash they need. www.homebusinessmag.com

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Start by looking at what you already have, like savings, investments or retirement funds, and only invest what you can afford to lose. If you don’t have any savings to tap into don’t worry, there are loads of creative ways to look at raising the cash you need. Concentrate on one product or service to save on initial

In 2008 Cynthia Kersey threw cash outlay. herself a 50th birthday party 3. Start Small and invited everyone she knew, asking them to each donate $100 instead Instead of launching a business with a full of a gift. With the money she launched The product or service offering, simplify your Unstoppable Foundation, a non-profit which strategy and start off small. It not only takes focuses on giving children access to education. off the pressure significantly, but by concentrating on one product or service you’ll save Start by looking at what on initial cash outlay. Offering a single service or product in the beginning also enables you you already have, like to focus on a defined target audience, building savings, investments or from there as the concept strengthens.

MONEY CORNER

By The Instant Group

“

retirement funds, and only invest what you can afford to lose.”

The two founders of Airbnb managed to raise $25,000 for their business by buying cereal in bulk and boxing it with a clever name. They sold their Obama O’s at a Democratic National Convention for $40 each and managed to raise the cash they needed to fund the now billion-dollar company. Two More Ways to Source Cash: ■ Angel Investors: These are wealthy individuals who invest in exchange for partial ownership of a company. ■

Crowdfunding: If you believe your idea is good enough why not take it to the masses and try to attract funding?

2. List Your Connections It’s not what you know it’s who you know, a statement uttered so often in business because it’s inescapably accurate. Start by making a list of connections and consider how they could help you. Do you know someone you could trade skills with? Perhaps you know someone that could build you a website for a minimum cost, or introduce you to their network of business contacts in return for your skills on a project of theirs? You could even consider selling your services to raise money.

4. Be Creative Make something that you can sell online. If the product is good enough, marketplaces like Etsy, eBay and Amazon may just do the work for you by marketing and selling it to their immense audiences. If you’re not into making your own products, how about reselling other people’s products? Some of the biggest fashion ecommerce sites are based on this principle, curating and selling items to their own communities. If you have a skill or a speciality, all you need are the tools of your trade to start a service business; this requires very little investment and is a great way to start small in your local area. 5. Stop Procrastinating Fear of failure is one of the biggest killers of great ideas. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start your business, and don’t let a lack of cash stop you from developing something that could end up paying off in the long run. The Instant Group is the global flexible workspace specialist. Underpinned by unrivalled expertise, Instant tailors unique solutions to help businesses of all sizes to grow, drive savings or gain invaluable insight. Established in 1999, The Instant Group has achieved 23% compound growth over the past four years and continues to expand with private equity funding secured from MML Capital in 2012. With offices in London, Berlin, Dallas, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney, The Instant Group employs more than 100 experts and has clients in 113 countries. For more information, visit www. theinstantgroup.com.

May/June 2017 | Home Business

4/5/17 10:02 AM

SUCCESS STORIES

Organic Products for Everyone Couple Launches Multi-Use Beauty and Skincare Company Following Life-Altering Events By Kyla Eldridge

imegreen is a multi-use beauty and skincare company producing high-quality, completely natural products from vegan and organic ingredients. The products break the industry’s single-use mold with formulas specifically crafted for all-over application. Limegreen’s mission is to use simple, vegan ingredients to create high-quality, natural, and versatile products that cleanse, moisturize and refresh. Born in the wake of life-altering events, Talima Davis and Allison Lamb, partners in life and business, developed their brand, Limegreen. A few years ago, Davis and Lamb’s friend was stricken with cancer, caused by environmental surroundings. Davis gravitated to her grandmother’s southern approach of gardening and natural home remedies. Her family would multi-use everything from baking soda to vinegar, whether for cleaning, brushing teeth, cooking, etc. They began making products in their Brooklyn home for personal use, but when friends and family started

asking for them to make more, they expanded. A small operation became a full-time investment with Davis’s North Carolina roots as the true inspiration behind every product. The beauty brand has been featured in The New York Times, The Today Show, MarthaStewart.com, and many more! Most recently, Limegreen was featured on Lifetime’s new hit series Project Runway Startup, a show where fashion and beauty entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their product to industry leaders. Limegreen was of the few offered a deal from the panel, receiving a $200,000 investment from Christine Hunsicker, Founder of Gwynnie Bee. People of all ages and genders can use all of Limegreen’s products in many different ways. The full line consists of: conditioning soaps for your hair, face, body and hands; full-body oils that nourish skin and remove makeup residue; candles that fill the room with natural scent and melt down to a perfect massage oil;

Talima Davis and Allison Lamb are the cofounders of Limegreen.

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Making Personal Hygiene Convenient After a Trip to Europe, 83-Year-Old Entrepreneur Annoyed by Toilet Paper Commercials Invents Milavo Pocket Bidet Spray By Sherilyn Colleen

ention Cottonelle bath tissue’s “Go Commando” advertising campaign to Angelo Chetta and you are likely to get an earful. The 83-year-old inventor had just returned from a trip to Europe, where bathroom bidets (similar to toilets, but including jet sprays of water for better hygiene and cleanliness) are commonplace. Upon returning to the U.S., Chetta became acutely aware of how unsanitary it is to clean one’s most intimate body parts using only dry tissue paper. “For a nation that is obsessed with cleanliness, it struck me as dumb that we would settle for using dry toilet paper in our daily hygiene,” says Chetta, former 20-year director of operations for the Louisiana Superdome (now known as the Mercedes Benz Superdome). As a bidet in America is hard to find, Chetta invented the perfect solution. The longtime New Orleans resident has always considered himself entrepreneurial. He is, after all, credited with creating the region’s Crawgator regional mascot concept back in

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Angelo Chetta is the founder of Milavo Pocket Bidet Spray.

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MONEY CORNER

Clean Up Your Home Business Accounts Here Are 12 Tips for Managing Your Finances By Russell Smith

here are many upsides to running a business from home, but nothing is perfect.

One disadvantage is having to manage your own finances. Most business owners are not financial experts, which makes the prospect of being the master of your own money pretty daunting. As a result, many struggle to manage appropriately and sooner or later the business accounts are a complicated mess of figures and confusing spreadsheets. However, there is hope. By following good accounting practices and knowing what to look out for, you can keep your accounts manageable. 1. Keep Your Business and Personal Finances Separate

Your personal and business finances should never interweave. Having invoices paid into, and expenses paid out of, your personal account is a surefire way to problems. Doing so makes it impossible to know exactly what is personal and what is business, making finance management difficult. Not to mention, if the taxman comes a-knocking, they’ll have a harder time working this out than you do. 2. Know Your Cash Flow Cash flow is exactly what it sounds like: the amount of money going in and out of your business. Imagine a river of money with your business acting as a dam. The water flowing

into your business is gross profit, and the water runoff is your net profit. Too many businesses focus on gross profit and fail to understand the significance of net profit and cash flow. Keep your business accounts manageable with good Ignoring your cash flow reaccounting practices. sults in an inaccurate picture of your business’s financial payments for equipment, money owed for suphealth, which makes it far easier to end up plies, or a mortgage on office space. Most small with accounts that don’t reflect your actual home businesses don’t have large amounts of status. creditors, but it is still vital that you keep your3. Dedicate Time Every Day to Finance Management Home businesses are often micro-businesses, which means your finances aren’t usually as complex as a larger company. That doesn’t mean things can’t get messed up, though. Fortunately, micro-businesses often have accounts that are far easier to manage with just a small amount of input. By dedicating 10 minutes at the end of your working day to your finances — making sure you’ve recorded everything you need to, paying off bills, and ensuring the numbers are right, etc — you’ll find you have much more control over your accounts. 4. Be Aware of Your Accounts Payable Accounts payable is a term used to describe money your business owes. It could be a loan,

self aware of who you owe what. If your accounts are in need of a tidy up, one of the highest priorities you should have is ensuring you manage and clean up your accounts payable. This means understanding exactly who you need to pay and when payments are due. Unmanaged payable accounts can lead to massive problems with creditors that could potentially destroy your business. Rein them in immediately.

“Unmanaged payable accounts can lead to massive problems with creditors that could potentially destroy your business.” 5. Close All Old Invoices and Bills How do you clean the house that your small business is based in? You clear out the clutter. How do you clear up your business accounts? You do the same. Old invoices and unpaid bills wrack up huge problems for your business; they skew numbers. If you have open invoices that haven’t been paid, be swift in your action to clear them up and get the money you are owed. If

Consolidate payments to make your accounts easier to manage. Continued on page 46

Home Business May/June 2017

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Clean Up Your Home Business Accounts Continued from page 44

MONEY CORNER

you have old invoices that have been paid but are just sitting around in your accounts folders, get those archived and out of the way. The only things you want to be affecting your accounts are invoices for current jobs and bills for ongoing projects. By sorting old bills and invoices, you can get your financial numbers up to date and clear out the clutter. 6. Revisit Budgets Too many businesses set their budgets at the beginning of the year and religiously stick to them. This is problematic. A budget is usually based on projections, not cold-hard facts. If you are working off an inaccurate budget, you could find yourself falling deeper and deeper into financial problems. For example, imagine you looked at your projected income and surmised you could budget $250 per month for travel expenses. Business is slower than usual, but you continue to work from that budget as it is what you set for the year. Every day you spend working from inaccurate budgetary information, your accounts get worse. Budgets should be revisited on a regular basis and revised to reflect the current financial situation of your business. By doing so, you can avoid disastrous overspending. Or, in the case of growth, you can ensure you are investing an adequate amount of money into your home business to ensure it continues to develop. 7. Take Advantage of Specialist Software Numerous examples of accounting software exist to help you keep track of your business finances. While many still stick to filing cabinets and spreadsheets on Microsoft Excel, even the smallest of businesses can benefit from specialist software.

cent that enters and leaves your business. Bookkeeping is simple. Just record the figures from your invoices, receipts and other records in one place, such as on accounting software, and maintain them, always updating when new records come along.

“Bookkeeping takes ﬁnancial guesswork out of the equation and allows you to know exactly what you’ve been paid and what you’ve spent.” The downside of not maintaining records is that things can quickly snowball, as you have no idea of exact figures. Guesswork is not a good idea when it comes to managing business accounts; things can get messy fast. Bookkeeping takes financial guesswork out of the equation and allows you to know exactly what you’ve been paid and what you’ve spent. 9. Reconcile Your Historic Transactions Recording all your income and outgoings is important, but after they’ve been noted down in your spreadsheet, software, or massive 19th-Century-style ledger, don’t discard them. Keeping evidence of your business transactions is not only important for tax purposes — in the case of an audit — but it also benefits your accounts through data reconciliation. If your accounts need a tidy, you can return to these historic transactions and compare

Home Business May/June 2017

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It is not enough to maintain your finances. You have to know what exactly is going on with them. Monthly reviews are a vital part of keeping your accounts healthy, as they allow you to take a step back and analyse your financial performance. The advantages of reviewing your finances monthly are that you can track progress. Look out for pitfalls and become keenly aware of your current financial situation as a whole. Avoiding monthly reviews means you won’t be prepared for potential problems and you won’t have that keen awareness of your business’s financial health, which makes it far easier for your accounts to run away from you. 11. Set Financial Targets Financial targets are goals established at the beginning of the fiscal year that indicate what position you’d like to be in when said year draws to a close. While they may not seem like a tool that can be used to keep accounts tidy, they actually have a major role to play. Financial targets range from high profits to keeping things on an even keel. At the start of the year, you need to look at your business and decide what sort of target you want to aim for. Once you have that goal, you’ll be able to track it against your accounts. If your goal is to be more profitable, for example, you can use it to monitor your accounts and make sure they reflect your intended end-game result. 12. Reevaluate Your Outgoings

Invest time in looking over your accounts payable and see if you can reduce costs by switching your custom to other businesses. You may also be able to consolidate payments to make your accounts easier to manage. Just because something worked for your business before, doesn’t mean it works now.

8. Maintain Your Records

10. Review Your Finances Monthly

Too often small business owners set up financial links and leave them standing. As a result, you can end up paying high interest on loans, overpaying suppliers and racking up credit debts your company simply doesn’t need.

Designed to help you easily understand and control your accounts, this type of software is vital for anyone who finds themselves bogged down in financial misery. From record keeping to invoice monitoring, it essentially puts all the necessary information in front of you, allowing you to get an overview of all the ins and outs of your business finances.

Bookkeeping is the cornerstone of good accounting practice. Without a strong foundation of recordkeeping, you cannot possibly hope to have well-managed finances. Bookkeeping allows you to track everything, every

them to your current books. This ensures accuracy in your current records and helps you fill in any blanks that may have occurred due to lax account maintenance.

Retain evidence of all business transactions.

With 12 years of experience running his own accountancy firm, Russell Smith of Russell Smith Chartered Accountants knows all there is to know about managing small business accounts. Visit http://rsaccountancy.co.uk/.

www.homebusinessmag.com

4/3/17 2:22 PM

Leaving Two Jobs for the Online World How a Girl from the Slums of Miami Made a Million Dollars While Traveling the World By Sherilyn Colleen

“W

ho would have thought that a poor little black girl would grow up into a rich, successful woman that empowers thousands of women?” says D Verrengia. Success never happens overnight, and to build a prosperous venture it takes grit, determination and a strong sense of self. “Long before I knew how to make money with my business online, I had to step into my power,” D shares. “But first, I had to learn a few things that shaped my life and the lives of thousands of women.” When she was working at Hooters, she didn’t consider it a glamorous job, but found it to be safe. “I would show up to work, make money, and go home — I suffered for that safety,” she says. “The safety of that job held me back from doing what I knew I had the potential to do.” It wasn’t until the day things truly went downhill that her eyes opened to the reality she had lived in for a long time. D came home from her second job one night, put the key into her front door, walked inside, turned the light switch on, and nothing happened. She stood there dejectedly in the dark. “I worked two jobs and I still couldn’t get

“It was time to take a risk and fight for myself.” - D Verrengia www.homebusinessmag.com

12-60_HBM_MAY/JUNE17.indd 47

ahead,” D says. “It was then that I decided to make a change.” The cycle of going to work, making little to no money and going back home was not making her prosperous and was eating away at her spirit. “It literally left D Verrengia is a passionate speaker who teaches entrepreneurs me in the dark with how to take the reins back. nowhere to turn,” she says. “It was time to her story. She felt that she was showing weaktake a risk and fight for myself.” ness if she let anyone know she once was poor Now that D knew the cycle of going to work, or that she struggled in her business. However, making no money and going home again was as she began receiving messages from women not working, she knew she had to find some- being empowered by her story, she knew she thing different to attain an easier, more secure had to continue sharing it. lifestyle. “I always knew there was something enchanting about running a business online and all I needed to do was learn how to leverage the power of the internet,” D says. “I told everyone my plan was to become wildly prosperous with my business online and they were all wildly supportive — actually, no they were not.” Oftentimes great ideas meet great adversities, when others feel intimidated by remarkable plans or doubtful of one’s ability to achieve them. D was told over and over that she was crazy, that no broke waitress could ever make money with a business online and that she didn’t have what it takes to be successful. “Well, guess what? I can tell all those people that I like to call “haters” that they were wrong,” D says. “In the beginning, it was difficult to hear that my friends and family did not believe in me, so it was time for me to start my journey alone.” D believes that while it is possible to reach one’s dreams alone, it is better to have a community of support. “You should have someplace to go when you hit a roadblock or if you need an extra burst of inspiration. Thankfully, those communities are available online.” There was a time when D was afraid to tell

“Everything I had to go through made me into the businesswoman I am today,” D says. “It has made me strong enough to lift women up with me and show them how to find the power in their stories.” Though D has made it this far, it does not mean her journey is ending. She finds herself reaching new heights and taking others with her to greater levels of success. To all those struggling to find a path to a financially secure and fulfilling life, she reaches out to help. “You should be part of my circle,” D says. “I want to take you by the hand and show you how you can fulfil your purpose in your business and life.” When D first started out, she didn’t have the support of a community of likeminded people or a way to find out exactly how to make, save and invest money online, so she took matters into her own hands. First, she literally wrote the book on how to make, save and invest money online. Then, she made a community on Facebook so that wherever people are in the world, they can connect with the empowering business and lifestyle coach and hundreds of other women who are lifting each other up while they succeed in the online world. “This is all free and all you must do is download my free e-book and join the Facebook group,” D says. Visit blissdiva.com/.

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Drama-Free Beauty Solutions Creator of the Makeup Eraser Founds Direct Sales Beauty Product Company By Molly Cerreta Smith

or Elexsis McCarthy, founder of MUE Lifestyle and creator of the popular Makeup Eraser, her segue into the direct-sales beauty industry came via a self-admitted “lazy girl’s way to remove make-up.” It all started with a bathrobe cloth that, when used with water, became an extremely effective way to remove makeup entirely without the use of any added products or chemicals. McCarthy found this cloth to be the most amazing way to remove makeup and had to share it with women of the world. She began cutting portions of the robe’s cloth, giving it to friends and asking for their feedback. Just as she was, her friends were thrilled by the ease and effectiveness of this makeup removing cloth. “Putting makeup on is so fun, but removing it is such a chore,” says McCarthy. “I knew there were other women out there that needed a drama-free, effective way to remove makeup.” So she and her husband began sourcing

Home Business May/June 2017

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the material and hand sewing what became the very first Makeup Eraser, an eco-friendly pink cloth that removes all traces of makeup with only water. In 2013, McCarthy introduced her product to the masses at a local bridal expo, and hung a banner requesting distributors. She was blown away when someone wanted to buy 100! The next year the company grew into affiliate programs, and by 2015, they launched completely into the direct-sales market. From a single piece of cloth, MUE Lifestyle has grown to include a vast array of beauty, skin care and makeup products and accessories. This April alone, MUE Lifestyle is launching upwards of 60 new products. As the company moves forward into a full lifestyle brand of products, McCarthy is intent on ensuring all products are created with organic, botanical and/or the most natural ingredients possible while being as effective as or more so than products created in a lab.

Elexsis McCarthy is the founder of MUE Lifestyle and the Makeup Eraser.

As the company continues to expand, it will continue to stick to its mission of creating the best beauty products on the market designed to give women real and easy solutions to their skin care problems without the use of chemical ingredients. McCarthy shares these words of advice to home-based working women: “Give serious thought to the company you choose to work with, then stick with it and persevere.” Visit makeuperaser.com/mue-opportunity. www.homebusinessmag.com

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How To Make Money With Non-Lethal Self Defense Products? For 29 years, 1000’s of people have made $5000, $10,000 a month and more by selling the 500+ much in demand, non-lethal, self-defense products provided by Safety Technology. Here are 7 WAYS you can make money with our products.

6. SELL TO BUSINESSES - Sell surveillance cameras to convenience stores; stun batons, Tasers or metal detectors to bars and nightclubs; pepper sprays or personal alarms to hospitals for their nurses, etc. All these things have been successfully done by other Authorized Dealers…plus more!

1. SELLING AT GUN SHOWS - There is no better way to sell anything, then face to face. Selling at gun shows allows you to put your products in front of people who are definitely interested in defending themselves, their families and their home.

7. SELLING ON THE INTERNET WITH YOUR OWN WEBSITE – Without a doubt, selling on the Internet is the best way to reach the largest number of customers. We can even build a money making website for you and teach you how to sell on the Internet.

2. HOME PARTY PLAN SELLING - Yes, just like Pampered Chef or Tupperware! Except you get to keep all the money. You don’t have to accept a paltry commission from the mother company…you are the company. All the profit is yours!

There are many other ways to sell these self-defense and surveillance products. How would you sell them?

3. SELL AT FLEA MARKETS AND SWAP MEETS - Another great way to get the products in front of people. The advantage here is costs less and can do it at the same spot every weekend. Some flea markets even allow you to set up permanent displays. 4. SET UP ROUTE OF GUN STORES, PAWN SHOPS, NAIL SALONS, BEAUTY SALONS - We suggest starting with our pepper spray displays as a way to get your foot in the door. Great way to receive residual income...money on a regular basis because the stores reorder. 5. AUCTION SITES, SUCH AS EBAY AND AMAZON - One way to get your products exposed to a very large number of buyers is to sell on eBay and Amazon. Not only are the auction sites good for selling products, but also lead generation.

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Authorized Dealer at Gun Show

There is no fee to do business with us. Visit our website at www.helpdefendpeople.com to discover how you can help people defend themselves, their loved ones and their homes.

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